Nilgiris seals borders to outsiders

Udhagamandalam: The Nilgiris has intensified vehicle check to ensure that only local residents are entering the district.
Besides the regular checking at Burliar and Kunjappanai check posts on the district border and at Kakkanallah on the state border, Ooty municipality on Saturday introduced vehicle check at Lovedale Junction, Indu Nagar and Kodappamund.
Saraswathi, Ooty municipal commissioner, said, “It is just to fine tune the vehicle checking exercise, as we hear that some people are evading scrutiny at the check posts on the district and state borders. It will take another two to three days to know the effectiveness of the initiative.”
Only people with local address proof are allowed to enter Ooty town, which has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases. Kuzhisolai area in Ooty has seven cases, while Kandal area has four cases. Of the 18 active cases in the district, Ooty accounts for 11 cases. Five imported cases, mostly from Chennai, have transmitted the virus to at least 13 of their contacts in the district in the past four days.
Within two hours of implementing vehicle check in the town, the municipal officials caught two vehicles from other states at Lovedale junction without e-passes.
“One vehicle was from Karnataka and another from Andhra Pradesh. They didn’t have e-passes. But they somehow managed to enter the district through Kakkanallah check post,” Saraswathi said.