Country Roads that take me home . . .

Country Roads Picture

In India lockdown was in its third phase, with rumors of an extension. My family and I were waiting for an opportunity to move back to Kerala from the end of March. It was many years of memories, brotherhood, and companionship with our loved ones, that we were preparing to leave behind. Bangalore was the city that I moved to very long ago, with the hope to fulfill my bare necessities. I never thought in my worst nightmare that I would have to leave Bangalore during such a time and in such a fashion.

Application for the Pass

Towards the end of the second phase of lockdown, there was news of traveling to Kerala from other states by securing an online pass. But the information on how to secure the pass to enter the Kerala border was vague. After a few days there emerged clarity on the subject and the following procedure was detailed.

I registered for the Domestic Return Pass on the Covid-19 Jagratha site. As I was traveling with my family in my personal vehicle, I included all the necessary details to complete the form. Few critical points that I remember were as follows:

• Enter all the personal details of myself and my family members who were traveling with me.
• My personal vehicle number.
• My Present address in Bangalore
• The address in Kerala that I was planning to move into. 
• Confirmed whether any of my family members have/had any Covid-19 symptoms or infection.
• Lastly, I also selected Walayar as the Kerala border that I was planning to enter along with the time slot that I planned to reach the border.

Once you apply you will get an application number and an SMS on your phone to track the status of the online application.  Further as I was traveling from Bangalore and passing through Tamil Nadu to reach Kerala, I also secured the passes from these two states as well.

Online Pass for Karnataka was obtained from - Sevasindhu site 

In the same way, the Pass for Tamil Nadu was obtained from - TNePass site

After waiting for a few days, I received a call from the health department of my home district. The call was to check on the facilities I have at the destination place I had mentioned. The official made it clear that if I do not have the facility for self-quarantine for 14-days after I reach Kerala, I will be moved to a government facility for the same. As I was traveling with kids below 10-years, the officials informed me that I need to self-quarantine as a family for 14-days.  

The Journey back home - My Experience...

With the approved passes, I started my journey at 6:15 AM on 12th May from Bangalore. This perfectly aligned with my appointment at Walayar between 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. There were no stoppages or checkpoints in Bangalore. I moved fast to reach Attibele, where I was stopped at the first police check post immediately after the toll gate. As they saw the pass and confirmed that I was moving to Kerala, they let me proceed immediately. 

As I continued my journey ahead there were checkpoints at Shoolagiri, before entering Dharmapuri and Salem. All these places they permitted me to continue my journey only after giving them the assurance that I will not be stopping in Tamil Nadu and will continue my journey to Kerala. Also all these places verified my Kerala admit pass. After leaving Salem the ride was smooth till I reached Coimbatore. Post the final LnT toll gate I was stopped at a police check post where they verified my Kerala pass and also noted down my name, car number, pass number, and contact number before letting me proceed. 

As I approached my last leg of the journey my excitement was growing. Next was the major stop at the Kerala border. I had heard many horrendous stories about the experiences of many returnees at Walayar. The stories were around topics like time delays, the questions being asked, issues for people coming without wearing gloves were some of them. With all these notions I arrived at Walayar, after parking the car I walked to a police officer to understand the procedure. He directed me to visit any of the counter. At the counter, the officer examined the pass and asked all the members to be present for a temperature check. Post this they issued a pass sealed by the Palakkad Police and instructed all of us to self-quarantine for 14-days. Further, the officer instructed to download Aarogya Setu App and report at the health department or ASHA Worker in our local area, where we would be staying for 14-days. All this was done in 10 minutes, I was stunned and asked the officer if there is any procedure pending. After securing the written approval from Walayar I prepared to continue my journey. At the exit I was stopped by the Police to verify the approval and they also noted all the details for their reference. They again reiterated the importance of 14-day quarantine and affixed a sticker on the car with the date of exit at Walayar. What I expected to take more than 3-hours was over in 30 minutes. A job well done! Kudos to all the members at Walayar in making the process smooth. 

Walayar Checkpost

On continuing my journey from Walayar, I was again stopped at Vaniampara before reaching the famous Kuthiraan section. Here the health officials examined my approval pass from Walayar and noted down my name, contact number, and vehicle number along with my origin and destination. Post this checkpoint the journey was smooth without any stoppages till I reached Cochin, my destination. 

Home Sweet Home

At last, we arrived home. Tired from the journey but excited to reach home. The travel was smooth to cross all check-post for travelers with a valid pass. I would like to thank all the officials and volunteers in barring all odds and standing at every checkpoint for our safety. This lockdown has bought out many shades in us but the feeling of seeing the roads that take us back home cannot be described in words. So today I pray that all travelers who wish to trace their way back home during this lockdown may safely do so with all approvals and support from the officials. May they also experience the same ecstasy that I had when I saw the old country roads that lead me home...