District administrations across Jharkhand are strengthening vigil on their borders to prevent unauthorised entry of people, especially from neighbouring states, amid fears of a fresh surge in Covid-19 cases.

On Saturday, Palamau sealed its borders with neighbouring Bihar to restrict entry of vehicles without valid e-passes. Deputy commissioner Shantanu Agrahari said, “Hariharganj and Hussainabad, which shares its borders with Bihar have been fully sealed to prevent unauthorised entry. People requiring to move between the states in case of exigencies should secure electronic passes via epassjharkhand.nic.in or contact the district transport officer.”

Ranchi district too is on high alert, especially in areas bordering Bengal’s Purulia district. A district administration official unwilling to be named said that although e-passes were mandatory to enter Jharkhand, they weren’t needed to leave the state. “No laxity will be tolerated any further. Directives have been issued to officials and magistrates manning border entry points for total compliance,” he said.

Deputy commissioner of Pakur district Kuldeep Choudhary there was increased vigil across district check-posts. On Friday, he inspected Chandrapur and Rajgram areas that share borders with Bengal and other parts of Jharkhand. “Directives have been given to magistrates to strictly follow all the prescribed rules by state government in toto,” he said.

Fearing an influx of infected people, the state government has already announced suspension of two special trains running between Jharkhand and Bihar from Monday (July 13).