COVID-19: Travellers flout quarantine rules, use public transport in Telangana

Hyderabad: Incidents of people with home quarantine stamps on their wrists, creating panic in public transports including trains are increasing every day. So far at least six incidents were reported in different parts of Telangana. Seeing them in trains and buses, their co-passengers raise alarm, alert authorities, due to which they passengers are de-boarded off the vehicles and shifted to Isolation centers. Meanwhile, railway police in Telangana have already issued ordered prohibiting entry to the persons with stamps on their wrists.

With no specific travel instructions for the people with mandated home quarantine, people arriving from different foreign countries are facing troubles in reaching their homes. Neither the health department or police or any other agency, has made any arrangements in this regard.

On Sunday morning, a techie who returned from Australia, landed at RGI airport and boarded the Delhi bound Karnataka Sampartk Kranti super fast express from Secunderabad to reach his home town Nagpur in Maharashtra. He was travelling in AC coach. Other passengers who noticed him with the stamp, alerted railway authorities and he was de-boarded at Bhongir railway station.

However the question is will they initiate action on TRS MLA from Sirpur Koneru Konappa and his wife Ramadevi, who violated the home quarantine mandate and moved in the public. Konappa had attended officials review meetings in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, attended the wedding of a party leader’s son on Friday and even took part in a religious function in a temple. He was moving out freely for atleast four days without minimum precautions and shaking hand and even posing with people for selfies and pictures, before the district administration initiated action against him and issued notices to him to go into quarantine.

Further, a techie in Warangal who returned from France got married, where close to 1000 guests including several big wigs of the town and VIPs attended. Though the number of guests violated the mandated 200 guest number, no government agency could take any action, because the techie is a close relative of a senior TRS leader in the district and his father is a senior advocate. Though the leader is not in active public life, she has contacts with the powers and his father is also equally influential among the power circles in the city.

If there is action initiated against common people who are violating the mandatory home quarantine, question arises if there will be any action on these violators associated with TRS party. With this question in mind, the police department is looking for various options on how can they act on these people and what measures to be taken to prevent repeat of such incidents.

In another incident, a HR executive who arrived at RGIA from Dubai boarded the Bhavnagar express at Secunderabad. Minutes after the train started, she was noticed and deboarded from the train. Further another man who arrived in Mumbai from Qatar had reached Nampally railway station by Hussain Sagar Express. As he was about to take a taxi to reach his home at Afzal Gunj, he was apprehended. All these persons were shifted to Gandhi hospital.

Even on Friday, a couple fled the quarantine center at Vikarabad, were caught while travelling in the Rajdhani express and deboarded at Kazipet, while a techie heading to Dornakal was de-boarded from the Krishna Express at Alair