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1,000 Haryana Roadways buses to ferry migrant workers to UP
Drivers, conductors and other support staff posted at depots of Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Panipat were directed to report on duty.
Haryana Roadways has dispatched at least 1,000 buses to drop UP- bound migrant workers at their native places free of cost after Yogi Adityanath government sought help from its Haryana counterpart.
Government sources say the UP government had urged Haryana to press into service its buses. Drivers, conductors and other support staff posted at depots of Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Panipat were directed to report on duty.
“We reacted immediately after the UP government’s request because the situation at Delhi-UP border was turning very critical,” transport minister Mool Chand Sharma said, urging the migrant workers to stay put wherever they are at present in Haryana. According to Virender Dahiya, director general state transport, about 825 buses were dispatched by Saturday night to UP-Delhi border. About 150 buses were sent to Delhi on Sunday.
Inder Singh, president of Haryana Roadways Workers’ Union, said, “We responded swiftly. Our buses are jam-packed in complete disregard of social-distancing norms. Against the capacity of 52 passengers, there are over 70-80 people in each UP-bound bus,” he added.
‘Drop passengers at designated destination’
The UP government late on Sunday asked Haryana government to allow the roadways buses to continue shifting the migrant labourers up to other destinations.
In a communication to all general managers, director general state transport said, “The UP government has further desired that the buses may be sent up to next destination.”
“The buses will go up to next destination on requisition of UP district administration,” he added.
He said the crew will be given ₹1,000 each and that the buses will come back on Monday.
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