KCR wants ban on international flights

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has urged the Union government to shut down international flights with immediate effect to contain spread of coronavirus.

Addressing the media after holding a high-powered meeting with officials at Pragathi Bhavan on Thursday, the Chief Minister, differing with the decision of the Union government to ban international flights from March 22, said the ban must begin right away since each flight landing in India increases the threat of spread of the virus.

“We should have shut down international flights right away. Why wait till March 22? This is not an Indian-born disease. All the 14 cases in Telangana have come from other places and there is not even one from our State. The Union government must immediately stop international flights. I will appeal to Prime Minister Narendra



Modi to ban international flights on Friday during the video conference with chief ministers of all States,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao, however, said that special flights bringing home stranded Indian citizens must be allowed to land and take off. “We are demanding a ban only on regular flights carrying regular travellers,” he said.

He said that he will also urge the Prime Minister to let the State utilise the services of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) which has a capacity to screen 500 samples. 

“Telangana has six centres sending samples to Pune for screening which is taking lot of time. If we are allowed to send the samples to CCMB, the results will come faster,” he said.