SHILLONG, April 24: With COVID-19 cases surging across the country and a large number of people making their way back to the state, the pressure on the entry point at Umling has increased many folds.
The Meghalaya government has intensified the screening of people coming from outside the state, making things difficult for entrants as well as the staff employed at the entry point.
Some entrants, on Saturday admitted that the situation at the entry point was totally chaotic and the government must streamline the entire process to make it easier for people to enter the state.
A returnee from Kolkata claimed that the process of conducting the RT-PCR test was too slow.
“I reached here at 11 am and I am still here at 6 pm. It took them 8 hours to collect my sample,” the returnee, who did not wish to be named, said while informing that he was charged Rs 500 for the RT-PCR test.
He also informed that protocols such as social distancing had gone for a toss at the entry point.
“Seeing the situation here, I fear that those who don’t have COVID-19 are likely to contract virus at the entry point,” he added.
Another resident of Shillong who was also returning from Kolkata informed that people need to wait for too long to get tested. Adding that the present set-up is not at all foolproof to ensure hassle-free movement, he urged the state government to streamline the whole process so that people don’t have to waste their precious time.
It may be mentioned that the government has already launched an online application where returnees have to register themselves before entering the state. After registration, the entrant receives an e-invite which needs to be shown at the entry points before testing.
The demand for opening up additional counters for the collection of samples has been growing ever since the check gate was made functional in December last year. Even some MLAs had urged the government to open up more counters at the Umling check gate for smooth registration and testing of returnees.
