Hundreds of stranded migrant workers bound for their homes in West Bengal and travelling in hired vehicles from Hyderabad were stuck in transition for more than six hours near Aswaraopeta on the State’s border with Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning.
Dozens of vehicles carrying the workers, who were engaged in construction work before the lockdown was imposed in the State, to far-off places got stranded along the inter-state boundary, following the alleged denial of permission by staff manning a checkpoint at Jeelugumilli in Andhra Pradesh citing lack of valid documents, sources said.
The visibly exhausted migrant workers, who embarked on a long journey, after being rendered jobless by the lockdown, spent anxious moments on agricultural fields for several hours till afternoon.
After spending more than six hours in sweltering heat, most migrant workers from West Bengal were allowed entry into the Andhra Pradesh border in their vehicles by checkpoint staff of the neighbouring State after conducting thermal screening as per the stipulated safety precautions, sources said.
However, the stranded workers bound for their native places in Andhra Pradesh were asked to wait for necessary permission from higher-ups when reports last came in.
“We had reached the inter-State border in Aswaraopeta mandal without any hassles by furnishing transit permits given by the authorities in Hyderabad,” a Kolkata-bound migrant worker said.
He deplored that despite easing of lockdown norms by the Centre, they had to face an ordeal at the inter-state border owing to tough restrictions imposed by local officials.
Thermal screening
When contacted, Aswaraopeta cirlce inspector of police Rajagopal said that migrant labourers possessing valid documents in the prescribed format were being allowed to pass through the inter-State border from Telangana side.
The joint teams at the checkpoint in Aswaraopeta mandal were scrutinising the transit documents ad permitting those coming into the State after conducting thermal screening, the circle inspector added.
