After the Kerala government introduced an e-pass facility emergency and essential commutation, the state police department’s e-pass portal has 3,10,535 applications, as of May 10, Monday. Of this, the Kerala police granted 32,641 people e-passes, while they rejected 2,21,376 requests. A total of 56,518 applications are under consideration, said a press statement from the Kerala Media Centre.
From May 8, Saturday, the Kerala government made it mandatory to hold an e-pass to travel during the lockdown, which will be in place across the state till May 16. Those who need to commute will need to get the travel pass from the Kerala Police, from the e-Curfew Pass portal. Within a day (till Sunday morning) after introducing the e-pass facility, more than 85,000 people applied for the pass.
Kerala Director General of Police Loknath Behera, however, warned that the pass will be allowed only for urgent and essential travel and action will be taken against those who misuse the system. The Kerala police had found that the majority of the requests for e-pass were either not genuine or unnecessary. The special branch police officers in each district manage requests for passes.
Those who commute to neighbourhood stores to buy essential commodities or those going to vaccination centres need not apply for an e-pass. They, however, need to carry a self-written affidavit in the format prescribed by the police. The others who can apply for the e-pass include citizens who work in the essential service sector but do not have a professional identity card; domestic workers; daily wage labourers; home nurses, etc. In emergency situations also, inter-district travel is permitted through the pass.
Police have warned that there will be checkings even if commuters hold a pass; if their reasons are not found genuine, strict action will be taken. It was also warned that the vehicles of such people will be caught and produced before the court, which would result in so much procedure to get the vehicle back.
Watch: Police check vehicles at border checkposts