The Anantapur district administration on Sunday deployed five buses from Kodikonda Checkpost on Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border and at two other places midway up to Gooty to provide the much-needed succour to migrant labourers walking on National Highway No.44 from Bengaluru.
“We want to see to it that travel arrangements are made for all the workers so that they do not have to take up the arduous task of walking back home in sweltering heat. The State government will foot the travel bill,” District Collector Gandham Chandrudu told The Hindu.
‘Accommodation arranged’
“There are some coming from Bellary too, and we have taken over some dhabas to accommodate the migrants in case immediate transport was not available,” he added.
Two Shramik specials from Anantapur have been arranged, he said. One will leave for Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh on Monday and another for Bihar on Tuesday.
Deputy Transport Commissioner Sivaram Prasad said that Penukonda Sub Collector T. Nishanthi, along with Dharmavaram and Anantapur RDOs, was monitoring the operation of ferrying and accommodating the workers. The RTC was also running buses to Srikakulam and some destinations in Prakasam districts, he added.
The district administration has tied up with non-governmental organisations to serve food to migrant labourers walking on the National Highway or stationed at shelter homes.
In Kurnool, five trains with 1,500 persons have left for Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha from May 5 to 15. Some people were taken to Ongole and Vijayawada by RTC buses to transport them in trains to different States.
