Haryana: Over 1 lakh migrants apply for return; 74.5% from UP, Bihar
Following the movement of migrant labourers from across the country trying to reach their natives, as many as 1.09 lakh workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh took to the Haryana government's web portal, requesting a return to the state.
With the movement of migrant labourers, from across the country, to their native places picking up pace, as many as 1.09 lakh workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh took to the Haryana government’s web portal, requesting permission to return to their home state.
According to data available on the website, about 79.29% of people have applied to return to places that including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panipat, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Yamunanagar and Rewari.
A report in OneIndia.com revealed that the website was launched last week to keep a track of those who wanted to return to their home state Haryana. It also pointed out that until May 8 there were 7.95 lakh people who wanted to leave the state, while 1.46 lakh had registered to return.
Of 1.46 lakh people, over 50,000 of them have applied to come to Gurgaon, a district which is the hub of industrial activities and business establishments.
“If migrant workers want to come to Haryana, we will try to make arrangements to bring them back. Industrial activities have already started in the state,” Haryana Principal Secretary Anurag Rastogi told The Indian Express.
With migrant labourers making desperate attempts to reach back home after being stranded in different parts of the country due to the unprecedented nationwide lockdown, imposed in view of the coronavirus outbreak, officials believe the state’s low COVID-19 tally could be another factor in the workers seeking to return.
Related news: Haryana blames Delhi for COVID-19 spread, seals border
Till Friday (May 8), Haryana had 647 positive cases, including 14 Italian nationals. There have been eight deaths and out of those infected, 279 have recovered.
“They are people who want to come back to work, apart from those desperate to come to meet to their relatives here,” Haryana CID chief Anil Kumar Rao, who is coordinating with other states on the transportation of migrants, told The Indian Express.
“A large number among them might have gone to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh earlier, but others would have gone during the lockdown. Now they are finding it difficult to come back to Haryana because of the restrictions. It’s almost two months and they don’t have any job opportunities there. As business activities at shops and industries have started in Haryana, their owners might be calling them back, which may have prompted them to submit their applications online,” a senior IAS officer based in Haryana said.
According to the available data, about three-fourths of those who want to return (74.5%) are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while 82.55% who want to leave belong to the two states. Haryana has sought 100 trains to send them, reiterating on Friday that it would not charge the workers any money.
As many as 23,452 migrant workers have already been sent back to their native places, mainly in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in the Shramik Special trains and buses facilitated by the Centre.
