After Assam reported 16 positive COVID-19 cases, all the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, six Northeastern states sealed the interstate borders and barred the general entry from Assam, ministers and officials said on Friday.
Assam shares 2,743 km inter-state boundaries with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal. Of the 20 positive coronavirus cases in four of the seven Northeastern states, 18 took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi while a Manipuri girl and a Mizoram man had tested positive last month after they returned from the UK and the Netherlands, respectively.
According to Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, swab samples of 16 people, residents of Assam and all attendees of the Tablighi event held last month have tested positive for coronavirus.
"Test reports of several hundred Tablighi Jamaat attendees are awaited," Sarma said in Guwahati.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who holds both the Health and Home Departments, while holding a meeting to review the preparedness to deal with the COVID-19 issues, strongly asked the officials to maintain a highest vigil along the inter-state borders with Assam and Mizoram
"Except the goods laden trucks and freight trains, nothing should be allowed to enter Tripura from the neighbouring states and across the Bangladesh borders," Deb told the media.
"We must be extra careful against the spread of the novel coronavirus as positive cases were found in Assam, Mizoram and Bangladesh. Tripura is so far free from the positive cases," Deb stated.
In Shillong, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that the inter-district movements have been stopped by the union Home Ministry, there was no question of allowing any movement within the state and from other states.
"The state government has asked district officials in the border areas to ensure that all the norms to fight against COVID-19 are strictly followed. Only in case of extreme medical emergency, the authorities are not allowing inter-state movement to take place," Sangma said.
However, except travelling by train, people from Guwahati and other parts of Assam have to pass through Meghalaya's Shillong, Jowai and Khliehriat to go to southern Assam, comprising five districts.
In Kohima, the Nagaland government has sealed the state's borders with Assam along Wokha district (western Nagaland) with immediate effect, in the wake of increasing positive COVID-19 cases in Assam.
Deputy commissioner of Wokha district said that in the interest of public health and in consideration with the reports of positive cases in Assam and to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the border district, the order was made under the Epidemic diseases Act, 1897.
"The DC's notification directed the sealing of all inter-state entry points of Assam except for movement of security forces and emergency medical services. It also ordered the supply of all essential commodities to be routed through Dimapur district. Any violators would be booked under under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," an official said in Kohima referring the DC's order.
In Mizoram, the state government has further tightened the security along its inter-state borders with Assam, Manipur and Tripura following the spike in coronavirus positive cases in neighbouring states. Mizoram Deputy Inspector General (Northern Range) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said that security has been further tightened along the state borders with neighbouring states to check movement of people across the border.
"All the check posts along the inter-state borders, especially, in Vairengte and Bairabi on the Mizoram-Assam border and Mamit district along the state border with Tripura have been further alerted," the police official said. He also said that additional security forces have also been deployed along the inter-state borders.
In Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu during a review meeting on Thursday asked the police department to keep vigil of the porous border with Assam besides strict monitoring of all 22 official entry gates to prevent any suspicious access.
From other parts of the country, Assam is the gateway for the six other Northeastern states sharing 2,616 km borders with Nagaland (512.1 km), Arunachal Pradesh (804.1 km), Manipur (204.1 km), Mizoram (164.6 km), Tripura (46.3 km) and Meghalaya (884.9 km). Three northeastern states -- Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura -- are yet to report any positive coronavirus case.
Festival of democracy enters second leg with 88 Lok Sabha seats across India set to vote
While 89 constituencies were slated to go to polls in the second phase, as per the initial announcement by the Election Commission, voting in Madhya Pradesh's Betul was advanced to the third phase on May 7 following the death of the BSP candidate in the fray.
Tripura BJP issues show-cause notice to party leader for slamming TMP chief Pradyot Debbarma
A day before the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP in Tripura on Thursday served a show cause-notice to one of the party’s Vice-Presidents, Patal Kanya Jamatia, who accused Tipra Motha Party (TMP) chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma of “spreading hatred” among tribals and non-tribals in the state.
PM Modi ups ante against Congress, says Rajiv Gandhi abolished inheritance law to 'save own interests'
Upping the ante against the Congress on the 'inheritance tax' issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched another scathing attack on the grand old party, saying it was former PM Rajiv Gandhi who abolished the inheritance law "to save their own interests" after the demise of his mother Indira Gandhi.
Multi-cornered contest in Tripura East LS seat going to polls on Friday
A multi-cornered contest will be witnessed in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, which goes to the polls in the second phase of the 7-phase parliamentary elections on Friday.
Credit card data of 17K ICICI Bank users exposed; bank blocks cards, assures compensation
After credit card data of at least 17,000 new ICICI Bank customers was exposed and reached "wrong users", the bank said on Thursday that it has blocked these cards and is issuing new ones to the customers.
TRIPURA: BSF jawan on election duty dies after rifle accidently goes off
In a tragic incident amid the preparation for the second phase of polling in Tripura, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, who was engaged in election duty died after his rifle went off accidentally.
13.96 lakh voters to cast vote in 1664 Polling stations tomorrow
Although nine candidates are in the fray in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, the main battle will be mainly between BJP candidate Kirit Singh Debbarma and CPIM candidate Rajendra Reang.
CM leads campaign with vigor, Completes 30 rallies, 18 road shows covering over 6,000 km
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha vigorously campaigned for BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha elections & Bidhan Sabha by-election, participating in 30 public rallies, 18 road shows, and 7 padyatras.