NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, MAY 5
Chief Minster Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said that 3.25 lakh migrant workers, including 42 thousand from other states, have so far returned to their natives.
WR द्वारा #लॉकडाऊन में विभिन्न स्थानों पर रुके प्रवासी श्रमिकों,विद्यार्थियों, पर्यटकों,श्रद्धालुओं को उनके राज्यों में पहुंचाने के क्रम में,राज्य सरकार द्वारा पंजीकृत व नामित लगभग 1200 यात्रियों को लेकर 5/5/2020 को साबरमती से सीतामढ़ी के लिए end-to-end #ShramikSpecial चलायी गयी। pic.twitter.com/GSJs7apelb
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) May 5, 2020
Secretary to CM Ashwani Kumar said, “The state government in co-ordination with the Government of India has successfully sent 42 thousand migrant workers through 35 labour trains to various states like U.P, Bihar, Orissa, etc. In addition to that, the state government also permitted labourers residing in Surat to return to their native districts/talukas. This includes 5,500 workers through S.T buses, 1.67 lakh workers through private vehicles and 1.14 lakh workers through their vehicles /other private means by the permission of Surat Municipal Corporation. This takes the tally to 3.25 lakh migrant workers.”
WR द्वारा #lockdown के नियमों का पालन करते हुए तथा चाक-चौबंद व्यवस्था के साथ, RPF व स्थानीय अधिकारियों की देख रेख में, राज्य सरकार द्वारा पंजीकृत व नामित 1200 यात्रियों को लेकर सूरत से झारखंड के लिए end-to-end #ShramikSpecial चलायी गयी। @drmbct @RailMinIndia @PiyushGoyalOffc pic.twitter.com/nER7apFSuc
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) May 5, 2020
Around 28,000 migrant workers have been sent to their respective home states through 23 trains in the last three days. These include 8 trains from Surat to Orissa, 1 train from Surat to Bihar, 1 from Surat to Jharkhand. 2 trains from Vadodara to U.P, 3 trains from Ahmedabad to Bihar, and 4 from Ahmedabad to UP. 1 train each from Godhra, Nadiad, Palanpur and Rajkot to U.P.
In addition to that, around 14 thousand migrant workers have left for their respective homes through 12 trains on Tuesday. These include 3 trains to Orissa from Surat, 3 for U.P, 1 for Bihar and Jharkhand each which totals to 8 trains carrying 9600 people. 2 trains from Viramgam to U.P carrying 2400 passengers, and 1 train each from Ahmedabad to Bihar and UP.
કેન્દ્ર સરકાર દ્વારા લોકડાઉનની પ્રવર્તમાન પરિસ્થિતિમાં શ્રમિકોને તેમના વતન સુધી પહોંચાડવા દેશભરમાં ‘શ્રમિક સ્પેશિયલ ટ્રેન’ શરૂ કરવાનો નિર્ણય લેવામાં આવ્યો છે, ત્યારે આજે ઉત્તર ગુજરાતના જિલ્લાઓમાંથી કુલ-૧૨૩૫ શ્રમિકોને પાલનપુર-આગ્રા સ્પેશ્યલ ટ્રેન મારફત ઉત્તરપ્રદેશ માદરે વતન… pic.twitter.com/WYReMPSQy8
— Gujarat Information (@InfoGujarat) May 4, 2020
Kumar said, “The Chief Minister has formed a committee to ensure the overall management and coordination for sending migrant workers from Surat to their native districts/talukas. The committee is headed by Minister of State for Health Department Kishor Kanani. Other members of the committee include M.M Patel, Commissioner of Municipalities Administration, Deputy Police Commissioner Muliyana, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Upadhyaya and Deputy Collector for Stamp Duties Jadeja. The committee will coordinate with regional administrations in Botad, Bhavnagar, Amreli, etc and ensure the safe return of migrant workers from Surat.”
વડોદરાથી ઉત્તર પ્રદેશ જવા માટે શ્રમિકો અને લૉકડાઉનને કારણે ફસાયેલા માટે ખાસ ટ્રેન દોડાવવામાં આવી હતી. જ્યાં તેઓનું સ્ક્રીનીંગ કર્યા બાદ, જરૂરી કાળજી-તકેદારી લઇને, તેઓને ઉત્તર પ્રદેશ માટે રવાના કરવામાં આવેલ હતાં.@vijayrupanibjp @pkumarias @DARPG_GoI@InfoGujarat pic.twitter.com/EK2HtMW8bd
— Collector & DM Vadodara (@CollectorVad) May 4, 2020
The online registration for these workers shall start from Wednesday on a dedicated portal.
The Chief Minister has made it clear that the government will not permit to travel from one containment zone to another. Once the application of a worker is approved on the portal, they will undergo health screening and sent to their natives by following adequate safety protocols. Workers with cough, fever, cold will not be permitted to travel. In addition to that, the workers will undergo health check-up when they return to their native place and will have to be either home quarantined or institutional quarantined for 14 days. The workers will not be allowed to return to Surat for 45 days.
Migrants come out on streets in Ahmedabad and Surat
Scores of migrant workers, desperate to travel back to their native states amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown, on Tuesday came out on streets in Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat, officials said.
While more than 1,000 migrant workers carrying luggage gathered in Nikol area in Ahmedabad following a rumour that buses would be run for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, several others came on streets in Varachha area of Surat city.
In Ahmedabad, it took almost two hours for local police to persuade the migrants to vacate the busy crossroad near Ajit Mill police chowky.
“Migrants carrying their luggage started gathering in Nikol area since this morning following a rumour that buses would leave for their states from here, which was not true. We convinced them to go home as no bus would leave from here,” said Odhav police inspector R G Jadeja.
He said police asked the migrants not to believe in such rumours.
“We asked them to approach the Collector’’s office to get themselves registered for the inter-state travel,” he said.
In Surat, police helped the migrants fill the mandatory application forms for inter-state travel through trains.
A total of 23 Shramik Special trains carrying around 28,000 migrant workers had left various stations of Gujarat since May 2 to Tuesday morning, a state government release said.
Additional Chief Secretary, Labour and Employment department, Vipul Mitra said a dozen more special trains were planned for the day to ferry over 14,000 migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
Mitra is Gujarat’s nodal officer to facilitate transportation of migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims, students, and others to their native states by trains.
He said authorities are mulling to increase the number of the special trains to 20 per day in a couple of days. Each train can ferry 1,200 persons.
On Monday, migrant workers had pelted police with stones in Surat district, leaving nearly a dozen personnel injured.
Several labourers had also come out on a road in Rajkot demanding that they be sent back to their hometowns, while some migrant workers got their heads tonsured in an area of Surat after being unable to go back home.
Patnaik orders to ferry migrants from Surat only by trains
Taking note of bus accidents besides arduous long journeys while bringing migrant workers from Surat back home, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday ordered that in the future returnees from the Gujarat’s city should be ferried here only by trains.
Three accidents have occurred since Saturday night while transporting Odias from Surat to the state, mostly in Ganjam district, killing two people and leaving several others injured.
Patnaik gave this direction to the officials while chairing a review meeting on COVID-19 situation.
While a bus had an accident on Saturday night causing minor injuries to some, two buses ferrying migrants had met with accidents on a hilly road in the state on Sunday leading to two deaths and injuries to several people.
Besides accidents, the chief minister’s decision was also prompted by difficulties faced by the travellers, particularly women and children, a covering long distance of over 1,600 km by road.
Nearly three lakh Odia workers mostly from the Ganjam district are engaged in diamond cutting and other works in Surat city.
Two Shramik special trains ferried 2,400 Odisha natives on Monday night to Brahmapur in Ganjam district from Surat.
State Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said that around 87 buses were booked to bring back migrants from Surat to the state, out of which about 20 have already completed the task and the rest will now be cancelled in the light of the CM’s instruction.
The meeting also took some important decisions regarding more people flying to the state from abroad due to the worsening of the global pandemic situation.
The meeting resolved that the foreign returnees need to undergo the same procedure as done in the case of migrant workers and others returnees from the states reporting a high number of cases within the country.
Like the migrant workers, the people keen to return from abroad also have to make compulsory registration, corona testing and undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine, an official said.
More than 4,000 persons had flown back home in Odisha from other countries before the outbreak of the coronavirus in March and their number may now increase after central government’s decision to fly more stranded citizens from abroad, the official added.
Keeping in view the influx of people, both from within the country and abroad, the chief minister directed the administration to enhance coronavirus testing capacity to 15,000 a day from the existing 3,500 daily.
A decision has been taken to set up coronavirus testing facilities in different medical colleges located at Baripada, Balasore, Koraput and Bolangir, the official said, adding that presently such tests are being carried out at eight different laboratories across the state.
Patnaik also asked the officials to ensure that activities related to agriculture, industries, livelihood, transport and others should be normal in green zones across the state.
Of the 30 districts of Odisha, 16 come under the green zone, 11 in the orange zone and three districts come under the red zone.
Patnaik also asked the officials to give special emphasis on districts like Ganjam, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Jajpur and Balasore from where many people work in other states.
The chief minister further said that SHGs (self-help groups) have so far supplied more than one crore meals to the distressed people during the lockdown period.
Therefore, the SHGs will be provided extra financial assistance of Rs 2 per meal from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund.
He also directed the agriculture and farmers empowerment department to ensure that farmers get adequate seeds and other agricultural requirements in the ensuing Kharif season.
The chief minister was informed that the state government has so far arranged for safekeeping of 4.68 lakh returnees in 10,751 temporary medical camps in Gram Panchayat level.
Similarly, arrangements have been made for quarantine of 32,524 people in 415 centres in urban areas across the state.
2 Surat returnees test COVID-19 positive in Odisha
At a time when Odisha is bracing to receive over five lakh people from other states, two Surat returnees have tested COVID-19 positive in the state.
The two positive patients of the Ganjam district have been identified as a 17-year-old and a 22-year-old youth. Both are Surat returnees and asymptomatic, said the Information and Public Relations department on Sunday.
With this, Ganjam being the 16th district joined the list of COVID-19 affected districts in the state.
