Migrant workers skip quarantine in Odisha after arriving from Gujarat

A large number of migrant workers, who arrived in Odisha’s Ganjam district from Gujarat on Saturday (May 2) night, have reportedly skipped quarantine alleging lack of proper amenities.

The workers, who had arrived from Surat in seven buses, left the quarantine centres at the Janata High School in Beguniapada and the Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya in Ragapur, Kodala block, on Sunday morning, reported The Hindu.

The report suggests over 140 workers were kept under quarantine at the Janata High School, while the Ragapur facility had 195. Quoting sources, the report said a large number of them left the facilities alleging lack of proper amenities.

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Several of the workers were traced by noon as police officers and administrative officials jumped into action on receiving the information. Some of the workers were traced to the Kanchana Square while 40 others were found inside an orchard.

Ganjam district, which had so far been a green zone, reported its first COVID-19 cases on Sunday after two returnees from Surat tested positive. Besides, one more case was reported from Jharsuguda district of Odisha, reports suggest.

Both the Surat returnees, aged 17 and 22 years, were asymptomatic, sources said, adding that contract-tracing and follow-up action have been initiated. With Ganjam, the home district of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, registering two cases, the number of districts under the grip of COVID-19 increased to 16 in the state.

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Meanwhile, the first ‘Shramik Special’ train to the state, carrying around 1,150 migrant workers stranded in Kerala, arrived in Ganjam on Sunday, officials said. It arrived first in Ganjam and then proceeded to Khurda Road station, where it terminated, they said.

Over 500 passengers, including women and children, alighted at Jagannathpur railway station in Ganjam while the remaining got down at Khurda Road, the officials said. All passengers were screened before boarding the train in Kerala, they said.

(With inputs from agencies)