Ridiculous to ask states to bear travel cost of migrants: Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday (May 2) said that it is a “ridiculous” move by the Centre to make the states pay for the travel cost of bringing back migrants stranded in other places amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown.

“This is ridiculous to ask states to pay for bringing stranded migrant workers home. The railways belong to the central government and these migrant workers are Indian citizens. It is unfair to ask states to bear the cost of their travel,” Baghel said during Aaj Tak‘s special programme e-Agenda.

Earlier this week, the central government in its revised guidelines allowed migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims, and those stranded in other states to move back to their native places via special trains and buses.

Expressing his worry over ways to control the spread of coronavirus in the state when hundreds of migrant labourers return to their natives, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said, “I was not too worried when the number of COVID-19 cases were rising in the state. The real challenge before the state is now because hundreds of migrant workers are returning home from various states. They need to be screened and quarantined to ensure that the virus does not spread. The state government has prepared plans to handle this.”

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Soren said that the state government is in continuous contact with the Centre to bring back its citizens and has already sent several buses and trains for the same.

“I don’t see them as labourers. I see them as my family members. My father came from the working class. I understand the suffering and hard work. The labourers were being forced to roam on the streets like stray animals. They deserve to live with dignity and rights,” he said.

Concurring with Soren’s concern of an unexpected spike in positive cases once the migrants are back, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the state government has toughened its stand on keeping the borders sealed.

Haryana shares its borders with Delhi, Punjab, and Chandigarh due to which the chief minister said the entry of potential coronavirus carriers is high.

“We need to ensure that while essential supplies should not stop, they cannot be allowed to become carriers of coronavirus from other placed into Haryana. We can’t let the infection enter the state at any cost. We are strengthening checking at borders, ” he said, adding that anyone who is returning to Haryana from outside will be kept in quarantine for 14 days and then tested for COVID-19.

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Joining the list of other BJP CMs who blamed the Tablighi Jamaat congregation for spreading coronavirus in the country, Khattar said, “Tablighi Jamaat people have infected thousands others across the country. Around 1,400 Tablighi Jamaat followers came to Haryana. Of them, 135 were found to be positive.”

“The other factor that pushed coronavirus cases in Haryana is professionals working across the border with Delhi. Many people travel from Delhi to bordering districts of Haryana. These are the ones who are involved in essential services, be it vegetable vendors visiting Azadpur Mandi or doctors and other health professionals. But some ways have to be found so that they cannot transmit coronavirus infection,” he added.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot described the state’s counter-COVID-19 strategy which includes religious leaders, activists, and chemists to play a crucial role in containing the spread of the infection.

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“We reached out to religious leaders from all faiths seeking their help in fighting coronavirus. We told them all that this disease is difficult to control without people’s support. We asked them to tell their followers to cooperate with health workers. Initially, there was some confusion, now everyone is cooperating,” he said.

He explained that the state government has created its own model to fight the pandemic and asked chemists to take note of the contact details of those purchasing medicines for influenza-like illnesses.

Praising the successful Bhilwara model of curbing the spread of coronavirus, the CM said, “Under Bhilwara model, we reached out to 6 lakh families. Some 14,000 people were found to have symptoms similar to COVID-19. We tested them and it has worked for us. We are following what is called ruthless containment model.”