Don't Put Restrictions On Inter-State Movement Of People And Goods, Centre Tells States
Ever since the nationwide lockdown was lifted and India moved on to the phased Unlock since June, there has been a great emphasis on restoring the free movement of people and goods across the country.
While this has been restored to a great extent, there are still several localized restrictions both on the inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods due to the COVID-19 situation there.
Now the Centre has asked all states to ensure that there should be no restrictions on movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlocking process.?
In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said there were reports that local level restrictions on movement were being imposed by various districts and states.
Drawing attention to the Unlock 3 guidelines, Bhalla said such restrictions are creating problems in inter-state movement of goods and services and are impacting supply chains, resulting in disruption in economic activity and employment.
The unlock guidelines clearly state that there shall be no restrictions on the inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods, he said in the letter.
The guidelines also stated that no separate permission, approval or e-permit will be required for movement of persons and goods for cross land border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries.
The home secretary said restrictions amount to violation of guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The letter requested that no restrictions be imposed and it should be ensured that the unlock guidelines are followed.
This comes even as states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu extended the ongoing lockdown till the end of this month.
Last week, the Karnataka Government had lifted travel restrictions along its border with Kerala which had been in place since March when Kasargod was the worst COVID-19 affected district in Kerala and people used to travel to Mangaluru for medical treatments.
With Onam, the biggest festival in Kerala just around the corner, the Kerala government had last week said that people should use flowers available in their neighbourhoods and not rely on those from neighbouring states.?
During the festivities, flowers are much sought after to make floral carpets for decoration, be it at homes or offices.
This is a setback for the thousands of farmers in Tamil Nadu in the districts bordering Kerala who cultivate flowers for the market in the neighbouring state.
One of the biggest flower markets in Tamil Nadu is at Thovala, located about 20 km from the Kerala border. The economy of the Tamil Nadu town is heavily dependent on flower sales during the Onam season in Kerala.
