E-pass system to continue in Tamil Nadu!
Posted on: 25/Aug/2020 2:07:22 PM
The State Government of Tamil Nadu has announced that there are no current plans to withdraw the prevailing E-pass for traveling to other districts/states.
Further, the State Government of Tamil Nadu has emphasized the need to intensify the activities undertaken to prevent the spread of the raging coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, the number of coronavirus-infected has been increasing in the state of Tamil Nadu with each passing day. As one of the prominent preventive measures against the spread of the raging coronavirus pandemic, the lockdown has been imposed in the state with some relaxation. The system of E-pass issues for travel from one district to another or another state has been in vogue over the last few months.
Central Government emphasis
In this regard, the Central Government had already emphasized to the State Governments that there must be no restrictions for travel from one district to another within the state and travel to other states. The adjacent state of Tamil Nadu, the government of Puducherry, has withdrawn this system of online issues of E-passes and its necessity. As such, the question has arisen whether the E-pass system will continue in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Subsequently, the Chief Secretary of the State Government of Tamil Nadu, K. Shanmugam, conducted a special review meeting with all the district collectors on Monday afternoon (24th August).
In this meeting conducted as a video-conference, the Chief Secretary offered certain important advice.
As the spread of the raging coronavirus pandemic is continuing despite various stringent prevent measures undertaken both by the central and the state governments, it was informed in the meeting that it would be advisable to continue the prevailing E-pass system. Further, the district collectors appealed that all the government hospitals must be in a prepared condition to facilitate detect the people with the coronavirus infection and provide immediate treatment to them.
The Tamil Nadu State Government Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam appealed to al the district collectors that they must intensify and continue the various preventive activities against the spread of the raging coronavirus pandemic such as increasing the coronavirus camps, detection of persons with coronavirus infection and isolating them, providing the intensive treatment to the patients affected severely with coronavirus infection, etc.
Hardships encountered in travel to Puducherry
With the E-pass travel system having been withdrawn by the Government of Puducherry, a question has arisen whether the individuals from the State of Tamil Nadu can travavel to Puducherry without any issues. For travel to Puducherry, the citizen needs to apply for E-pass to the State Government of Tamil Nadu. And seek permission to enter Puducherry from its government. However, since the Puducherry government has withdrawn E-pass regulation, when attempting to travel from any part of Tamil Nadu to Puducherry, there will be a situation when the police may have to ask the vehicles to return.
With this, there is a present condition where the citizens intending travel from Puducherry to Tamil Nadu and the citizens intending to travel from Tamil Nadu to Puducherry cannot undertake the travel because of the 2 different regulations existing on the E-pass system!
