More than 500 migrant workers staying in various relief camps across the district were on Sunday transported back to their native places in Uttar Pradesh in State roadways buses. The workers from other parts of the State were also transported back in large numbers through the day.
More than a month after the lockdown was announced to contain the spread of COVID-19, around 550 migrants workers, including women and children, were transported back to their native villages in different parts of Uttar Pradesh in 19 State buses on Sunday. Fourteen people belonging to Uttarkhand and five from Punjab were sent back on Saturday.
Sub-Divisional Officer-cum-Duty Magistrate Arvind Kumar, in-charge Manesar IMT Sector 8 relief camp, said that thirty people were transported back to Bulandshahar and Budaun in a bus on early Sunday morning. Mr. Kumar said that two people from Uttrakhand at the relief camp were sent back on Saturday. He, however, said there was no official communication on the workers from Bihar staying in the camp.
Labour Inspector Sushil Kumar, in-charge Manesar Gaushala relief camp, said the camp had 114 workers from Uttar Pradesh and they had received the schedule to transport them back. “The workers are being made to sit maintaining the social distancing norms. A bus with a capacity of 50-odd people has only 20 people travelling,” said Mr. Kumar.
Ramesh Chand, who along with his wife, two daughters and a son, had boarded the bus for his home town Etawah, said they had been staying at Sector 15 Part-I relief camp for more than a month after their landlord forced them to vacate the room as they could not pay the rent. Mr. Chand, who recently underwent an eye surgery, said that he was out of job, but his wife and children worked.
Long walk
Amjad, working at a furniture unit in Jaipur, said he had walked several hours and taken lift in different vehicles to reach Gurugram after the lockdown in a hope to go back to his place at Shahranpur in Uttar Pradesh. But he was caught by the police and sent to a Sohna relief camp. “The staff at the camp was very cordial and after a month they felt like our family,” said the 26-year-old.
A highly placed source in Haryana government said there were many women, young girls and children among the inmates and keeping them in the camps for so long was a huge responsibility.
TVs and yoga classes
“The government installed televisions in camps, held yoga classes and conducted counselling sessions to keep them in good physical and mental health. Since they were quarantined having spent more than a month in the camps, it was decided to better send them back,” the source said, adding that there could soon be some decision on the workers from Bihar as well.
