Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
In response to the Centre’s advisory on return of stranded migrants and others, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Thursday, directed all DCs to prepare state-wise data of migrant labourers to coordinate their movement, even as he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrange for point-to-point special trains for the transportation of such persons.
The Chief Minister also announced that one officer had been assigned to each state for coordinating the return of stranded migrants.
During a video-conferencing with the state’s DCs and SSPs, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with regard to the transportation of the migrants. He pointed out that Ludhiana alone had over 7 lakh migrant labourers, with over a million in total in Punjab. Though data was still being collated, approximately 70 per cent of the labourers in Punjab hailed from Bihar, the Chief Minister said, adding that movement of such large numbers was possible only through trains, with proper screening to be done at the time of departure.
The Chief Minister asked the DCs, in the meantime, to start preparing state-wise database of migrant labourers to ensure their smooth return.
In response to concerns expressed over shortage of food packets in some districts in view of the extended Covid-19 lockdown, the Chief Minister directed the Food Department to increase the quota of rations to be distributed to migrants and non-smart card holders. “Nobody should remain hungry,” he stressed.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, citing the Union Home Ministry’s orders of April 29, said given the large number of workers stuck due to the lockdown, use of buses for their transportation would not work.
“Estimates indicate that nearly one million workers will need transport to go back to their states,” he observed, adding that the only feasible option in the circumstances was to arrange “special trains, which the Railways may run from point to point, keeping in view the number of persons to be transported to a given destination.”
Noting that since many other states might also be facing a similar situation, the Chief Minister also sought the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter, urging him to advise the Ministry of Railways to make special arrangements to ensure that these migrant workers reached their destination safely.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had, on Wednesday, allowed inter-state movement of migrant workers, while directing that “buses shall be used for transport of a group of persons, of course after proper sanitisation and maintaining social-distancing norms in seating.”
Captain Amarinder pointed out that a large number of migrant workers who had come to Punjab for jobs/employment from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, intended to return to their respective states due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
“These workers are engaged both in agriculture and industries. However, most of them either lost their jobs or could not find employment/work due to the curfew imposed in the state to contain Covid-19,” he wrote.
Though his government had tried its best to look over the stranded migrants, who were needed for the state’s industries and agriculture, by providing food, shelter and other basic amenities, most of them unfortunately appeared to still wished to return to their respective native places, said the Chief Minister.
He hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would understand the situation and advice the Ministry of Railways accordingly.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh said as per the protocols, the DCs had to get migrants in their respective districts screened and give certificates, following which the state control room is required to provide the concerned state the details of the migrant with contact number. There was no ban on sending the migrants in private buses, he clarified in response to a concern raised by the Ludhiana DC in this regard.
