Vijayapura, Apr 26: Amid fresh COVID-19 concerns in different parts of the country and apprehensions of a possible fourth wave of the pandemic, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday indicated that precautionary and surveillance measures may be reintroduces at airports and border districts of the state, depending on the Centre's advisory.

He appealed to people to follow precautionary measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distance to control the spread of virus.

"Everyone has to follow the precautionary measures, there is no need for worry as hospitalisations have not increased, but still we have taken certain precautionary measures," Bommai told reporters here.

In response to a question, he said during the previous three waves movement of people from neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala was a cause of concern.

"So, depending on the advisory from the centre following the Prime Minister's meeting with Chief Ministers of all states tomorrow, all precautionary and surveillance measures will resume at airports and border districts, especially those bordering Maharashtra and Kerala," he added.

With concerns of the virus once again looming large, the Karnataka government had on Monday issued guidelines making wearing of face-masks and maintaining social distancing compulsory.

Pointing out that the coronavirus situation seems to be aggravating again, and it has happened in about eight countries, including countries close to India like Thailand, Indonesia, China, Bommai said as the numbers have slightly increased here, the Prime minister has convened a meeting of Chief Ministers of all the states to discuss the precautionary measures to be taken.

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Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.

They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.

''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.

The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.

The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.

''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.

Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.

These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.

The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.