Don’t Board Or Deboard En Route, Odisha Govt Warns Returnees

Photograph: Suprakash Mishra.

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken strong exception to some returnees from other states deboarding from buses en route to the designated destination.

As per the state government’s notified arrangement, the districts are requisitioning buses and sending those to designated railway stations with one Nodal Officer for people of their district (coming from other states) from the station to the identified temporary medical camps/quarantine centres in their respective districts for quarantine for a period of 14 days.

“Recently some cases have been detected where such buses have deboarded some passengers en route, putting the administration into great difficulty in tracing them and safely transferring to their respective destinations,” Special Relief Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary to Govt Pradeep Jena has written to all district collectors and municipal commissioners.

To avoid any such incident in future, he has directed officials of district administrations to take the following steps:

1. While requisitioning the buses for the purpose, an order will be issued and handed to the owner/ driver clearly directing that the bus will carry the people identified by the Nodal Officer directly from the designated railway station to the destination and shall not, in any case, allow boarding or deboarding any person en route. In case of any violation, strict action will be taken against the driver or any other person in charge of the bus, including seizure of driving licence, the bus and criminal action will be taken against them.
2. It will be the personal responsibility of the Nodal Officer deputed to facilitate reception and transportation of persons of their districts from the designated railway station to the identified medical carnps/quarantine centres in their respective districts to ensure that no passenger of any other district/destination board the said bus from the station and the bus does not board or deboard any person en route. Failure to comply will attract strict disciplinary action.

“Keeping in view that that several more special trains are likely to arrive from other states soon, this matter may be taken very seriously and necessary action taken so as to avoid any lapse in the matter,” Jena reminded district administration officials.

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So far, 35540 Odisha natives, including migrant workers, students, professionals and stranded pilgrims, have returned to the state by bus/train amid the COVID-19 lockdown.