Restrictions lifted at Polem check post
CANACONA
Vehicles, people and goods moved without restrictions between Goa and Karnataka when the Polem border check post was thrown open to all movement without any SOPs on Tuesday morning.
All restrictions were removed after a gap of a little over 160 days, enabling vehicles and people to free cross over to Karnataka and Goa via the Polem check post.
However, the Polem check post continues to be monitored by the usual teams from police, excise, animal husbandry and RTO, as random checks are conducted on vehicles entering or leaving the State to ensure proper documentation, etc.
The reopening of the Polem check post will be welcomed by people on Karwar, as they had agitated at the Polem check post on Saturday and had threatened to block Goa vehicles from entering Karwar and supplies from moving to Goa by September 5, if the Polem check post was not reopened without any restrictions by September 1.
On Monday night, the State government endorsed the MHA Unlock 4.0 guidelines and permitted the free movement of people and goods into the State.
On Tuesday morning, Students Union leader Raghu Naik who led the agitation from Karwar last Saturday, was seen at border check post at Polem on Tuesday morning. He had reportedly visited the border check post with a group of colleagues to monitor the restoration in the smooth flow of interstate traffic at the border.
A number of vehicles crossed over to Goa and Karnataka via the Polem check post and in a few instances, even stray animals were found freely crossing over the border.
While the Karnataka border at Majali check post was thrown open August 22, Goa's border at Polem check post was reopened to traffic and people without any restrictions a little over 160 days since the lockdown began on March 22.
On March 14, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had raised concerns and felt the need to close the State’s borders with Maharashtra and Karnataka, on a day when Karnataka reported its first Covid-related death and Maharashtra had reported about 14 positive cases. There were no Covid cases reported in Goa at that time.
After the initial one-day Janata Curfew on March 22, the country went in for a 21-day lockdown on March 24, effectively sealing off state borders and restricting movement of vehicles and services at the Polem check post.
Even though MHS Unlock 1.0 was announced on June 8 and Unlock 2.0 on July 1, restrictions at the Polem check post continued to be in place.
MHA’s Unlock 3.0 on August 22 had instructed States to ensure no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods, but restrictions were not removed at the Polem check post, causing anger among people in neighbouring Karwar.
With MHA Unlock 4.0 coming into effect on Tuesday, all restrictions on interstate movement of people and goods were finally removed at the Polem check post.
