Wayanad keeps its borders open for K'taka villagers with medical needs

Wayanad district administration has decided to keep its borders open for villagers from neighbouring Karnataka villages for medical needs. Karnataka has also now agreed to allow non-COVID-19 patients to cross the interstate border at Kasargod for treatment at Mangalore.

Wayanad: Even when Karnataka blocked the vehicle movement including ambulances plying to Mangalore for medical emergencies for patients in Kasargod, Kerala has decided to keep Wayanad open for Karnataka border villages.

The borders to Wayanad district are to remain open to anyone residing in the villages along Kerala-Karnataka border who want to come to Wayanad for medical treatments or any other emergencies.

"People of Bairakuppa village in Karnataka will be allowed to enter Kerala for hospital emergencies," District Collector Adila Abdulla said.

Perikkallur Kadavu in Wayanad and Bairakuppa in Karnataka are the villages on both sides of River Kabani. People living in these areas mainly depend on Mananthavady District hospital and other hospitals in Pulpally for their medical needs.

Bairakuppa, which hardly has any medical facility, is just 25 km from Pulpally and Mananthavady. But the nearest place with medical facilities in Karnataka for the people of Bairakuppa to access is Mysore, which is 80 km away.

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Besides, Karnataka has now agreed to allow non-COVID-19 patients to cross the interstate border at Kasargod for treatment at Mangalore.

After Karnataka sealed the border people of Kasargod had faced major troubles and a death was also reported as the car wasn't allowed to cross the border even in medical emergency.

The State of Karnataka had specifically closed the Makutta Check post on the Mysore-Virajepat-Kannur highway. However, the Kerala High Court vide the impugned order has directed Central Government to intervene and remove the closure on the said road.

Kerala had said that the Union government, under whom the National Highway fall, is duty bound to issue direction to Karnataka to remove such blockade for transporting patients requiring medical attention as well as essential goods to Kerala.