Stranded lorries leave for Telangana

They were stuck on Kurnool side of the border in Andhra Pradesh

The lorries which were stranded on Andhra Pradesh side of the border were allowed to enter Telangana on Wednesday night. However, some lorries are still stuck on Kurnool side of the border.

Hundreds of lorries, transporting non-essential goods, were stopped after Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao called for a State-wide lockdown on Sunday evening.

The lorries were stranded here till Wednesday night till the Telangana government announced that they would allow the vehicles in for a brief window. “We did not even collect toll from these vehicles,” said M. Venkataramaiah, Circle Inspector of Alampur, Jogulamba Gadwal district, Telangana.

However, a few lorries came early in the morning and are still stuck near the border. One of the drivers, though he arrived a few days ago, missed the window as he had to repair his lorry.

“I had to go to change the tyre. Because shops are not open and public transport is not available the repairs took long, and I missed the window when the lorries were let in,” he lamented.

Drivers worried

Other drivers, who arrived early in the morning from Chennai and Chittoor, expressed concern over the lockdown. “I got here today morning. I am supposed to go to Hyderabad, and didn’t know that the window ended this morning,” said P. Sai, a trucker.

He added that he had only enough food to last until his trip to Hyderabad, and he would be done with his supplies by the end of the day on Wednesday. “I have enough water and supplies for cooking one last meal,” he said.

Mr. Sai is worried about sustenance for the next three weeks as the nation goes into lockdown. “I live in Hyderabad. I just want to deliver the goods and go back to my home,” he added.

The Telangana police told The Hindu that food would be made available to the truckers when needed. “Necessary action has been taken to make sure that the drivers are fed. We have also made sure that they get tea in time,” said Mr. Venkataramaiah.

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