'Lift ban on vehicular movement at Kerala-Kodagu border'

The restrictions on the movement of vehicles on the Kerala-Kodagu border should be lifted and permission should be given for the free movement of all types of vehicles, private and public, said Town Panchayat member C K Prithvinath.

Addressing reporters recently, he warned of staging protests if the ban on vehicular movement is not lifted.

The RT-PCR negative certificate is made mandatory for entering the district from Kerala. Instead, those who have availed both doses of vaccination should be allowed to enter the district. Bus transportation from Kerala to Kodagu should be restarted, he said.

Prithvinath further said that some buses from Kerala are travelling to Mysuru-Bengaluru via Kodagu. But, the local buses in the district are not allowed to operate within Kodagu.

Ayyappa devotees going to Kerala will commence their travel in a few days. If there are no buses, they will be in trouble, he said and warned that the Congress town unit will stage a protest at 11 am on November 27, if the restrictions are not withdrawn.

Gonikoppa Gram Panchayat member Sharat Kanth alleged that some staff at the check post are mounting pressure on the passengers to get the RT-PCR negative report from a particular hospital in Kerala.

Staff from some departments are following corrupt practices at the border, he added.

Virajpet Congress unit president G G Mohan, District Congress Committee Legal Cell president D C Dhruva and city unit secretary Shashidharan, Town Panchayat member Muhammed Rafi and Augustin Benny were present.