Over 16 lakh migrants returned home, lakhs more look to go back
A total of 20 lakh migrants, bulk of them from Bihar and West Bengal, have registered themselves with the Maharashtra government for travelling back to their native states, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Sunday (May 17).
A total of 20 lakh migrants, bulk of them from Bihar and West Bengal, have registered themselves with the Maharashtra government for travelling back to their native states, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Sunday (May 17).
Deshmukh said his office has received an enrolment of 20 lakh people who wish to return to their home states.
“The Home department has received an enrolment of some 20 lakh people, most of them to Bihar and West Bengal, who have expressed their wish to return to their home states.
“The problem is that states like West Bengal and Bihar are not issuing required clearance for running the trains,” Deshmukh told reporters.
16.5 lakh migrants return to UP
The Uttar Pradesh government said a total of 16.50 lakh migrant workers have already returned to the state.
“So far 16.5 lakh migrant labourers have returned to the state through trains, buses and other transports. Till Sunday morning, 6.65 lakh migrant workers arrived by 522 Shramik Special trains,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) Awanish Awasthi.
Awasthi also said trains arrived in UP from Delhi for the first time on Saturday.
Now, 11 trains will depart from Delhi on a daily basis to various districts of the state, he added.
Related news: UP Cong demands CM’s resignation over death of 24 migrants in accident
“Till Saturday, the railway has been paid ₹6 crore. By Monday, an additional ₹30 crore will be paid to the Indian Railways,” Awasthi said.
He added that instructions have been given to all district magistrates to acquire private vehicles and school vehicles on decided rates, so that labourers can be sent to safer places. The district magistrates have been asked to arrange 200 vehicles, he said in a statement in Lucknow.
Priyanka Gandhi’s appeal for migrants’ return
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday (May 17) urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allow the party to ferry migrant labourers back home in buses arranged by it.
She made the appeal in a video message posted on Twitter, a day after 24 migrant workers were killed and 36 injured when a trailer rammed into a stationary truck, both carrying migrant workers, on a highway near Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh.
“Respected chief minister, I am requesting you, this is not the time for politics. Our buses are standing at the border. Thousands of labourers and migrants are walking towards their homes without food or water and after fighting all troubles. Let us help them. Give permission to our buses,” she said.
आदरणीय मुख्यमंत्री जी, मैं आपसे निवेदन कर रही हूँ, ये राजनीति का वक्त नहीं है। हमारी बसें बॉर्डर पर खड़ी हैं। हजारों श्रमिक, प्रवासी भाई बहन बिना खाये पिये, पैदल दुनिया भर की मुसीबतों को उठाते हुए अपने घरों की ओर चल रहे हैं। हमें इनकी मदद करने दीजिए। हमारी बसों को परमीशन दीजिए। pic.twitter.com/K2ldjDaSRd
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) May 17, 2020
In another tweet, she said, “Our buses are standing at the border. Thousands of nation-builders workers and migrants are walking in the sun. Give permission Yogi Adityanath ji. Let us help our brothers and sisters.”
हमारी बसें बॉर्डर पर खड़ी हैं। हजारों की संख्या में राष्ट्र निर्माता श्रमिक और प्रवासी भाई-बहन धूप में पैदल चल रहे हैं।
परमीशन दीजिए @myogiadityanath जी, हमें अपने भाइयों और बहनों की मदद करने दीजिए pic.twitter.com/kNyxdKyxZA
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) May 17, 2020
She also put out a video of the buses standing at Uttar Pradesh border ready for plying.
The Congress has been for quite some time seeking permission to ply their buses to transport migrant labourers to their homes.
..मजदूरों को घर भिजवाने के लिए कोरी घोषणाएं और ओछी राजनीति से काम नहीं चलेगा। ज्यादा ट्रेनें चलाइए, बसें चलाइए।
हमने 1000 बसों की परमिशन मांगी है हमें सेवा करने दीजिए। 2/2
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) May 17, 2020
66,000 J&K residents evacuated from different parts of country
Meanwhile, more than 66,000 people from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded in different parts of the country due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, have been evacuated, an official spokesperson said on Sunday.
While 54,866 locals returned to the union territory through Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir bordering Punjab, 11,456 stranded passengers arrived on COVID-19 special trains at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations, the official said.
He said another 2,470 stranded passengers reached via Lakhanpur on Sunday afternoon, while Jammu district administration received the fourth train carrying 898 passengers belonging to the UT.
So far, four trains have reached Jammu with a total of 3,768 stranded passengers belonging to different districts. He said the eighth special train has reached Udhampur railway station carrying 1,315 people, taking the number of those who have reached Udhampur during the last week to more than 9,000.
AP govt to arrange 22 special trains to ferry 33,000 migrant workers
While making arrangements to send home 33,000 stranded migrant labourers by 22 shramik special trains this week, the Andhra Pradesh government is also taking steps to bring back those travelling on foot to the nearest relief centers in the state as a temporary measure.
The government has already arranged 31 trains — nine for Bihar, Odisha-five, UP, Jharkhand and Rajasthan — four each, Maharashtra — three and Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh — one each — from the state facilitating the transportation of 39,000 people to various destinations, an official release said on Sunday.
“We will be running five trains for 7,500 people today (May 17). We have planned another 22 shramik trains during this week for 33,000 people and NoCs from the receiving states are being pursued, it said adding top most priority was being given to send them home,” it said.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has given instructions to arrange buses to transport migrant workers to the nearest relief centers.
All the police check posts were provided with staff from revenue department to persuade the migrant labourers to stay at the relief centers with a promise to send them by shramik trains.
As many as 79 food counters were set up along the national highway nearest to the check posts to provide food and water.
Related news: Casual approach to pandemic blunts COVID-19 fight in Telugu states
The Centre had on Friday asked states and union territories to provide food and shelter to migrant workers if they are found walking on roads and railways tracks, and ensure they board special trains to reach their native places.
“Collectors were asked to put up banners on highways in Odiya and Hindi explaining the arrangements made for the migrant labourers going on foot. Once they reach the relief centers, instructions are given that people belonging to AP are to be sent to their native districts by APSRTC buses free of cost. Similarly, those belonging to other states will be sent by Shramik trains duly transporting them to the embarkation points free of cost,” it added.
During the last three days, around 4,661 migrant workers going by walk have been stopped at various check posts and taken to 62 relief centers.
Out of them 485 people were walking to various places within the state, while the remaining 4,176 belonged to other states, the note said.
State Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney had detailed discussions with her Odisha counterpart, who agreed to receive the migrant labourers of the neighbouring state at Ganjam with prior intimation.
4000 migrants return to Jharkhand in three Shramik Special trains
As many as 4,088 migrant workers returned to Jharkhand on Saturday in three Shramik Special trains from Karnataka and Maharashtra, officials said on Sunday.
A government release said 2,663 migrant labourers arrived at the Jasidih Railway Station in Deoghar district in two special trains from Karnataka.
The third train carrying 1,425 migrant labourers reached the Koderma Railway Station from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri, it said. The returnees were screened and provided with food, before being sent to quarantine centres, the release added.
60 Himachal Pradesh students brought back from Chandigarh
Among scores of migrants who were stranded in unknown lands for more than a month due to the lockdown were many students, sixty of whom returned home to Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district from Chandigarh on Sunday, officials said.
After arriving in Kangra, the students were sent to their houses in HP roadways buses following health check-ups, the officials said.
The students thanked Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur for making arrangements to bring them back, they said.
Related news: Centre extends lockdown till May 31, here’s how states plan to deal with it
Many students from Himachal Pradesh move to Chandigarh for taking coaching classes for various entrance examinations. They stay in rented rooms and hostels.
Meanwhile, the government has prepared an action plan to bring back students and other people of the state who are stranded in other parts of the country.
Actor Sonu Sood turns angel for migrants
Joining the long list of good samaritans taking a step forward to help stranded migrants return to their natives is actor Sonu Sood who is pained by the plight of migrant workers who are unable to go back home amid the nationwide lockdown.
He said he will do everything he can to arrange for transport for them.
On Saturday, Sonu arranged more buses for the migrants after obtaining special permissions from the government of Uttar Pradesh.
The actor had earlier organised multiple bus services for many such workers heading to Gulbarga, Karnataka from Maharashtra.
“It has been an extremely emotional journey for me as my heart pains to see these migrants staying away from their homes walking on streets.
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 16, 2020
“I will continue sending migrants home until the last migrant reunites with his family and loved ones. This is something really close to my heart and I will give it my all,” Sood, 46, said in a statement.
As per arrangements, multiple buses left from Wadala and various parts of UP, including Lucknow, Hardoi, Pratapgarh and Siddharthnagar, as well as to states like Jharkhand and Bihar.
The “Happy New Year” actor was present to bid goodbye to these workers who were stranded in the city since the lockdown began on March 25.
Previously, the actor also donated over 1,500 PPE kits to doctors across Punjab and provided his Mumbai hotel for the accommodation of the healthcare workers.
Sood has also been feeding thousands of underprivileged people along with providing meal kits to migrants in the Bhiwandi area during the holy month of Ramzan.
(With inputs from agencies)
