Entry open for home-bound people from other North-eastern States: Himanta Biswa Sarma

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: All the entry points to Assam from the other north-eastern States will remain open for all home-bound people from Sunday.

Informing this to the media on Saturday, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The people of Assam stranded in other States of the Northeast don't need any pass and permission to come to the State. They can come in their own cars or hired ones. However, they'll have to face health check-up at the entry points to the State. If any of them is found to have corona symptoms, he/she will have to be quarantined.

"We'll run ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) buses to the capitals of the States in the region. However, that may take time. Night curfew will be clamped in the State from 6 pm to 6 am; and all home-bound people from other States of the Northeast will have to come before that period daily."

On the people of Assam working and studying in the other States (not Northeast), the Minister said, "We need to bring them back. Such people can send miscalls to 7428159966. Within 48 hours, the State government will communicate with them on their travel details. We'll have to make arrangements for buses or trains. If any of them wants to come in their own vehicles or hired cars they'll have to send mails to assamtransportrelief@gmail.com; and the State government will issue the passes through emails.

"The health status of the home-bound people from rest of India will be examined at Kokrajhar, Sarusajai in Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat and Silchar. If the need arises, some may be quarantined, either at their respective homes or in hotels to be booked by the government in these five places."

On the problem likely to be faced by the State in the event of lakhs of people returning to the State, Minister Sarma said, "It'll be a big task. According to a conservative analysis, while around six lakh people of the State work in other parts of India, around two lakh are students. The total headcount including their family members may go up to 20 lakh. Against this backdrop, I would like make the following appeals to them:

"Only those who have no alternative but to return to the State should opt to return; and we'll give them priority.

"A special appeal (not mandatory) to those who're at the corona hotspot zones is that they should better stay at those respective places as their arrival in Assam may create a critical situation here.

"Those working in companies and are physically stable can stay back there as their working places have reopened.

The State government will continue to send Rs 2,000 to their accounts for two or three months."