Migrant workers on Saharanpur-Ambala Highway on Sunday morning. Photo/ANI
Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh ) [India], May 17 (ANI): Worried by uncertainty over the availability of trains to enable their return to their native places in Bihar , thousands of migrant workers took to the streets and started walking on the Saharanpur -Ambala highway on Sunday morning. The district administration, upon learning about the movement, reached the spot and tried to pacify them with assurances of trains being made available in the coming days.
The worried migrants, however, refused to relent following which Divisional Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar, arranged for buses to take them to Bihar border, from where the respective district administration from the neighbouring state will make arrangements for their return. “Today at 7 am it came to our notice that thousands of migrant workers have started walking on the roads. We were sending them through trains, in batches, for the past two days.
But today there are no trains as the permission could not be received from the Bihar government. We tried to assure them of being sent back safely but they are worried and want to reach their homes as soon as possible,” Kumar told reporters here. “We then held talks with them and arranged for buses to take them to their native places in buses scheduled for the border areas of their respective districts in Bihar.
We are coordinating with the District Magistrates (DMs) in Bihar to make provisions for their travel from the Bihar border to their homes,” he added. The migrant workers, meanwhile, said they had no other demand other than reaching their homes to be reunited with their families. Sonu, one of the migrant workers, told ANI, “We were working in a company here, after two months the owner asked us to leave.
We were living for the past 10 days in the Saharanpur Ashram. Our food and other provisions were taken care of there. But today we got to know that there are no provisions for those belonging to Bihar, therefore we took to the streets to return home.” “We want to return to our families, how can we survive here without food and cash,” he added. Meanwhile, according to the Divisional Commissioner , around three thousand migrants would be taken back to Bihar through buses today to their home towns. (ANI)Â
Migrant labourers gather at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border amid lockdown
A large number of migrant labourers who were walking down to their native states, gathered in Gazipur at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border amid COVID-19 lockdown on Sunday. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police, labourers have been asked to take trains or buses.
“There is a large crowd here in Gazipur at the Delhi-UP border. We are asking them to take trains or buses. No person without a valid pass is allowed to enter the state,” Prachanda Tyagi, sub-inspector, Uttar Pradesh police told ANI.
Earlier on May 16, Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General Law and Order PV Ramasastry said all District Magistrates (DMs) have been instructed to arrange buses for migrant workers who are seen walking on foot to their native places. In an unfortunate incident, as many as 24 migrant labourers were killed and several injured after the truck they were travelling in collided with another truck in Auraiya on Saturday morning.
1,000 buses being operated by MP govt every day for ferrying migrant workers: CM Chouhan
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that 1,000 buses are being operated by the state government every day for ferrying migrant workers. “All the migrant workers are our guests. We are ensuring that no one will remain hungry.
We are running 1,000 buses daily to take these labourers from Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border to Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border. We are trying that no migrant worker has to walk back to his/her home town,” Chouhan told ANI.
“Efforts are also being made to bring back all the migrant workers of Madhya Pradesh from other states,” he said. As per an official statement, at least 3.87 lakh migrant labourers have returned to states.
Chouhan has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of these labourers who died in an accident in Barwani district. Rs 25,000 each will also be given to the injured. Four people, including two children, were killed while another two children were injured after they met with an accident in Barwani district while travelling to Indore from Maharashtra.
Centre delaying process to send migrants back to their homes: AAP leader Sanjay Singh
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday said that if the Centre wants they can send migrant labourers back to their homes in two days but the process is just being delayed. Earlier today, Singh reached Uttar Pradesh-Ghazipur border in order to meet the migrants and distribute food among them. Speaking to ANI, Singh said: “Right now, migrant labourers are badly disturbed.
They want to return to their homes. The Centre should take responsibility to operate train services. They are just delaying it. The more it is being delayed, more accidents are taking place every day.” “24 people died in Auraiya, 16 people died in Aurangabad, six people died in Muzaffarnagar, five people died in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar.
Why are these migrants left on roads to die? If the Centre wants, we can send these migrants back to their homes in two days,” he added. Singh continued saying that with the coordination between States and Central government, these migrants should be allowed to go back to their native places. (ANI)
