Kerala CM appreciates TN Govt for Inter-state goods movement; raises concerns over Karnataka blocking borders

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appreciated the intervention of the Tamil Nadu Government in resolving the issue of inter-state goods movement through Palakkad check post but raised his concerns regarding Karnataka blocking the border.

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], Mar 28 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appreciated the intervention of the Tamil Nadu Government in resolving the issue of inter-state goods movement through Palakkad check post but raised his concerns regarding Karnataka blocking the border.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Pinarayi Vijayan said that the trucks and vehicles have been instructed to be disinfected before crossing the border. "

Kerala Minister for Water Resources, K Krishnankutty will be meeting Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration S P Velum and Deputy Speaker V Jayaraman tomorrow at Nadapulli check-post to address the issues there, " he said

Chief Minister expressed his concern over the non-cooperation from the Karnataka Government in removing the roadblocks created by them on the roads bordering Malapuram district.

"Karnataka has not heeded to our request to remove the roadblocks. I have been trying to contact their Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa repeatedly but was not able to reach him. We have briefed the Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and he has offered to resolve the issue. Our Chief Secretary has also briefed the Central Cabinet Secretary and we expect a solution soon. We request Karnataka to consider opening the borders for patients requiring emergency treatment as they are closer to Mangalore, especially dialysis patients. People of Malappuram are dependent on Mangalore for most of their needs including health services."Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Chief Ministers of different states are in touch with Kerala regarding the status of their people stranded here. "We have informed the governments of Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Mpur, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh about the steps being taken for the welfare of migrant labourers in Kerala. We have appointed a senior officer to coordinate the efforts at the State level," he added.

Regarding the availability of essential commodities in the state, Chief Minister said, "Steps are being taken to explore online distribution channels to encourage online shopping and home delivery so that people don't have to come out of their homes during the lockdown. We will also make the necessary arrangements to transport the food stock by road, rail and waterways. Freight transport has been exempted from the lockdown restrictions. We plan to start the distribution of rice through Ration Shops from April 1st."

( With inputs from ANI )