GUWAHATI: The Assam government has decided to extend the period for inter-district movement for stranded people till May 2, 2020.
The state Cabinet chaired by the chief minister met on Monday evening here to decide on matters regarding the lockdown, and a decision to extend the period of inter-district movement for people stranded in other districts was also taken.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Assam transport minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the extension of inter-district movement was triggered by the fact that several people were still stranded in other districts after not being able to register themselves on the helpline (104).
Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has received 41651 applications for availing of inter-district movement.
“In the past three days, ASTC has given tickets to 27000 people even as several people have not been able to avail of the facility,” Patowary said.
It may be mentioned that one-way inter-district movement for stranded people was earlier allowed from April 25 to 27 in strict compliance with the guidelines of the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
The period of such movement was on Sunday extended to April 30 while allowing round-trips for people with own vehicles.
Moreover, patients in need of inter-district travel for medical purposes have been given e-passes for the entire lockdown period, subject to prior verification and approval of the respective deputy commissioners.
The state government’s objective of facilitating inter-district movement for stranded people is to pave the way for regulating the entry of those coming from outside the state post-lockdown by adhering to all protocols required to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
It is estimated that over 5 lakh people from Assam who are stranded outside the country could be entering the state after the lockdown.
The Cabinet had also decided to stick to strict implementation of the lockdown in the “red zones” comprising districts such as Dhubri, Goalpara, Nalbari, Morigaon and Golaghat, while allowing standalone shops in the rural areas of green zones to reopen amid the lockdown from Tuesday.