COVID-19: Kerala officer denies entry to TN authorities to cross border

Theni (TN), Apr 21 () A team of officials taking twotruckloads of essential commodities was denied permission by acheckpost officer to cross over to Kerala to reach WesternGhat hamlets on the Tamil Nadu side, officials here said onTuesday.

Following the denial of nod, the essential commoditieswere loaded on horsebacks and delivered to the residents ofCentral and Top Station hamlets after an arduous trek throughthe jungles, they said.

The Tamil Nadu hamlets of Central and Top Station areabout six and 12 km respectively from Kurangani on the WesternGhats, located at an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet.

However, these hamlets can be reached via road onlythrough Kerala side via Bodimettu, the border point betweenKerala and Tamil Nadu.

Trekking is the only option to Central and TopStation from Kurangani which too falls under Tamil Nadu.

The distance between district headquarters here andKurangani via Bodi is about 30 km.

Bodi Tahsildar Manimaran said when he and otherofficials including block development officer Nagarajheaded to the twin hamlets in a government jeep and twomini-trucks carrying essential commodities including rice,they were stopped at Bodimettu checkpost by a Kerala officer.

"Though I told the Kerala officer that I am theTahsildar for Bodi (the two Western Ghat hamlets fall underthe jurisdiction of Bodi) and that the consignment ofessential commodities belonged to the Tamil Nadu governmentfor supply to residents of the hilly hamlets that fall withinTamil Nadu, our team and trucks were denied nod to crossover," Manimaran told .

The entire Kurangani region is a storehouse of richbiodiversity and Kolukkumalai, the highest tea estate in theworld is situated atop Kurangani.

As permission was denied, the team returned and sentthe essential commodites through horses to the hamlets, theysaid. CORR VGNBNWELCOME VGNBNWELCOME