AGARTALA, April 29 - With the nationwide lockdown scheduled to end on May 3 next, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the hardship being by farmers due to the restrictions imposed along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Over 1,500 farmers are facing uncertainty as they are not allowed to harvest their crops lying outside the border fencing as the international border has been sealed to contain COVID-19 since March 25.
After getting inputs from the ground, the Chief Minister on Monday had a telephonic conversation with the Union Home Minister. Deb requested the Union minister to relax border security for six days so that the farmers could collect their crops lying outside the fencing.
Apart from the issue of the border farmers, the Chief Minister also spoke on the inter-State movement of people stranded outside due to the lockdown. �The Chief Minister requested the Union Home Minister to consider if point-to-point train service could be operated to evacuate the stranded people. Shah promised to consider the proposal with due importance�, said Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath here today.
Over 3,000 students, patients, professionals and workers have been stuck outside the State due to the ongoing lockdown since March 24. The Government will not provide transport facility to the stranded people during inter-State movement.
�Since the State�s position is better with no COVID-19 death reported till date, the lockdown guidelines will be relaxed in some segments. Shops are allowed to reopen, but shopping malls or large markets and cinema halls will remain closed,� the minister pointed out.
