COVID-19: Bihar protests return of people from Rajasthan's Kota

Bihar government has lodged a protest with Centre over Rajasthan's Kota administration issuing passes to students of various coaching centres and ir parents in COVID-19 hotspot town in rthwestern state for ir return to home state. A large number of medical and engineering aspirants from Bihar join various coaching institutes in Kota every year.

students' parents and guardians too often accompany m and stay re till satisfactory arrangements are made for ir boarding and lodging. nationwide lockdown has left coaching institutes and those joining m in a quandary. In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar on Monday said,

"Such movement from Kota is t at all advisable in present scenario. In Bihar, we are w medically examining returning students as well as ir guardians accompanying m, and instructions are being issued to quarantine m."

"This unprecedented situation could have been easily avoided by strict enforcement of lockdown in Kota," said Bihar chief secretary, pointing out that "earlier we had to tackle unprecedented influx of migrant workers because of poor implementation (of lockdown) by or states".

chief secretary's remark was an obvious reference to large-scale exodus from Delhi-NCR region in last week of March when migrant workers reached UP border in droves, allegedly at instance of Aam Aadmi Party that rules Delhi, and were ferried to ir home state on buses plied by Yogi Adityanath government for purpose.

chief secretary pointed out that "Kota has 40 confirmed corona cases" and requested Union home secretary "to issue necessary instructions for strict enforcement of lockdown. Kota district magistrate too should be warned for violating MHA guidelines against movement of people in country".