Pinarayi Vijayan slams K'taka officials for blocking border roads, says situation in Kasaragod different now

Kasaragod: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came down heavily on the action of Karnataka officials blocking the border roads to Kerala, including at Kasaragod, by not just putting up barricades, but also depositing soil, saying it was not acceptable.

“The situation in Kasaragod is different now. They used to depend on Karnataka for everything. The nearest towns for them were in Karnataka and there were many who even used to visit Karnataka daily for dialysis and other medical procedures,” Vijayan said.

He said the Chief Secretary discussed the matter with his Karnataka counterpart, who had agreed to remove the soil.

“Yes, we need to follow the directions of lockdown in the face of this pandemic. But what in the case of an emergency? The Chief Secretary has discussed the matter with his counterpart and agreed to remove the soil. We brought the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister also,” he said.

Considering the serious situation prevailing in Kasaragod district, the government has decided to convert the Kasaragod central university to a COVID-19 treatment centre, he said. “All laboratory facilities are there,but we need permission from ICMR for testing there. We are awaiting that. The Kasaragod medical college will also be converted to a covid hospital,” Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister also said that the condition of migrant labourers in Kerala would also be taken care of and they would be provided food and accomodation, besides soaps, masks and sanitisers.