The Maharashtra Government on Thursday has released the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the movement of labourers, students, tourists, pilgrims and others stranded in the state.
According to the SOP, all District Collectors will be the designated Nodal Authority for receiving and sending stranded persons between the States/UTs and also within Maharashtra. The Nodal Authority shall register the stranded persons within their district and submit their detailed list to the District Collector of the district to which those persons desire to travel, with a copy to the respective State Nodal Officer, read the SOP.
In case, the stranded persons wish to travel inter-state, the sending and receiving States/UTs shall consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road. However, the SOP clearly stated that no movement shall be permitted into the State of Maharashtra unless the group of persons has obtained the letter from the appropriate District Collector or the Director, State Disaster Management. Similarly, no group of persons shall be allowed to leave unless they have an appropriate letter from the receiving State/District Authority.
The Maharashtra Government’s SOP further said that the people shall be screened and only those who do not show influenza like symptoms or symptoms of COVID-19 shall be allowed to proceed. If these people show symptoms, the course of treatment all be followed as per the standard health protocol.
In case the people wish to travel by their own vehicles, they must possess a transit pass issued by the sending State/UT /District Authority. The pass will be for a fixed route and with specific validity along with the names of persons travelling.
Keeping in sync with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Maharashtra Government said that the vehicles/buses used for transport shall be sanitised before and after use and social distancing norms shall be followed in the seating arrangement. “Any group of persons coming into Maharashtra will have to strictly follow the 14 day quarantine period which will be ensured by the Collectors/Municipal Commissioners,” read the SOP.