New Delhi: Two states – Tamil Nadu and Odisha – have built walls or dug up trenches in an effort to seal their borders. The state governments’ move to prevent people in neighbouring states from entering their administrative territories has been viewed with some disdain from civil society, especially at a time when more cooperation amongst states is needed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.This may not only affect communities residing on the state borders but also impact the flow of essential commodities.According to the Times of India, the Vellore district administration has built two concrete walls – three feet in width and five feet in height – overnight on the road which connects it to Andhra Pradesh (AP). “Not only did this hinder traffic to Vellore, famous for its super-specialty medical services, it also blocked movement of at least 10,000 litres of milk to AP. After the walls came up, dairy farmers in Vellore were forced to take a circuitous route,” the report said.Odisha, too, has dug up its bordering roads that lead to Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, after the town reported some COVID-19 cases. The trenches were hardly noticed until a pregnant Adivasi woman had to carry a bamboo shaft across the trench to reach a hospital. The video of Savara Vanisri from Althi village has since gone viral on social media.The Andhra Pradesh government was quick to object to such measures taken by Tamil Nadu and Odisha and asked officials of both the states to demolish the walls and trenches in case of medical emergencies in areas around the states’ borders.Also read: Andhra Pradesh: As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Govt Leaders Come Under Fire for Lockdown ViolationsSeveral state governments have taken measures to seal their borders ever since a nation-wide lockdown was imposed.In the north, Uttar Pradesh has sealed its Ghaziabad and Noida borders with Delhi. On Sunday, the Noida administration issued strict orders that only those health personnel involved in COVID-19 duty would be issued travel passes. On Monday, however, it relaxed some conditions and coordinated with the cab aggregator Uber to allow health workers to cross the border for non-emergency medical support.Haryana, too, has announced a “tightening” of its borders with Delhi. Several government officials who work in Delhi but live in Faridabad or Gurgaon have been told to make living arrangements in Delhi within 72 hours.Previously, Karnataka sealed two highways leading to Kerala but had to reopen them after the high court intervened. Goa too has now communicated to the Centre that it wants its borders with Maharashtra and Karnataka sealed beyond May 3, 2020, when the lockdown is slated to end. The BJP-led state government in the coastal state has also requested a ban on any inter-state road and rail travel.