Telangana government condemned for making hostel boarders to flee to native places

Hyderabad: The Telangana government took the flak Wednesday from opposition parties for allowing students and young professionals to be evicted from hostels, thereby forcing them to return to their native places in Andhra Pradesh. It led to people making a dash to the AP-Telangana state border, where they were stopped by the police of that state.

Most political leaders were scathing in their criticism of the developments, with leaders of different parties saying the government’s handling of the situation was incompetent.

Telangana state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar called it a “hasty act, which reflects the mindset of CM K Chandrashekar Rao. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to stay wherever they were for 21 days, the CM allows people to be forced out of their rooms, gives them permits to leave for their native places, further increasing the risk of spreading the coronavirus.”

He said that if at all the Telangana government should have consulted the AP government first and coordinated it properly. People should have been given a medical examination before being allowed to travel.

Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the problem of youngsters stranded at the border was a humanitarian problem that should be resolved by both state governments. He said that since the lockdown is going to be long, both governments should coordinate better so that people do not suffer.

Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy said the state government has been immature in its handling of the Covid-19 situation in Telangana.

“Why did the state government allow students to go to their native places in AP without prior consultations with the government there?” he asked.

Kishen Reddy, Union minister of state for home affairs, strongly condemned the TRS government. “What chief minister Chandrashekar Rao has done is deplorable. Creating panic and tension at the state border is not what was expected. We have already issued a strong message to the state home secretary as well as the DGP. Unless the crisis is resolved quickly, it will lead to greater human suffering,” Kishen Reddy said.

He warned saying that the Centre would discuss this entire fiasco at its next review meeting. “How can they violate all medical warnings?”