Lockdown: Truck drives fleece stranded passengers, daily wagers forced to walk down to hometowns

Ghaziabad/Noida: As no public transport is operating due to lockdown to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, hundreds of daily wagers and other passengers on Tuesday had

Ghaziabad/Noida: As no public transport is operating due to lockdown to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, hundreds of daily wagers and other passengers on Tuesday had to wait for several hours on main roads and highways to travel back to their respective hometowns. Taking advantage of the situation, some truck drivers fleeced the stranded passengers by charging them exorbitant amount for small journeys to different areas in west Uttar Pradesh.

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With no job for a week, Rahul Saini, a daily wager who works as an electrician in Trans Hindon areas of Ghaziabad, waited at Lal Kuan intersection on NH-9 in order to reach Garhmukteshwar in Hapur district. He waited for couple of hours but could not find any means of transport to his hometown on Tuesday afternoon.

“There are dozens of people like me who have little money and need to return to their homes in Hapur, Moradabad and Bareilly. The buses and trains are cancelled and the only option is to board a commercial truck. But the drivers are demanding Rs 200 per person for a drop to Garhmukteshwar and Rs 500 for a journey up to Moradabad. For Bareilly, they are charging even Rs 700,” Saini said.

Saini said that this is exorbitant and majority of people cannot afford. “Earlier, truck drivers charged Rs 40 for a drop to Garhmukteshwar. So, many of us have decided to walk down to their hometowns in Hapur which is about 60 kilometres from here. I will wait and search for any other vehicle which charges less,” he added.

Like Saini, Delhi resident Akash Kumar, a vegetable vendor, arrived at Lal Kuan from municipal town of Sikandrabad in Bulandshahr district by paying small amounts to drivers of different trucks. From Lal Kuan, he finally decided to walk down to his house in Paharganj, Delhi.

“There is no truck that is going to Delhi. From here, I will walk down and try to sneak into Delhi on foot in case the cops don’t allow me to enter. I have no money as the work has stalled,” Kumar said.

Likewise, many stranded travellers from different regions in UP and other states were seen walking afoot to reach their respective hometowns.

“During the lockdown period, poor workers and stranded passengers have no option. The absence of public transport has compounded their problems. The district administration must make some temporary arrangement for their stay at government schools which are closed down at present. NGOs can be roped in to provide them food,” said Rajendra Tyagi, councillor from Raj Nagar.

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and divisional commissioner (Meerut) Anita C Meshram could not be contacted despite repeated calls made to them.

AK Singh, regional manager of UP State Road Transport Corporation, however, said that 12 buses were despatched on Monday night which ferried about 600 stranded people to different destinations.

“These buses that charged normal fare ferried people to Bareilly, Badaun, Sitapur and Lucknow. We have put on standby 20 buses in case they are required on Tuesday night for ferrying more people. But the journeys will be taken up only at night,” Singh said.

Similarly, the district administration in Gautam Budh Nagar also arranged 22 UP roadways buses in order to help evacuate stranded passengers heading to their hometowns in western UP.

“They (workers) live on rented accommodation and work in factories. Since there is a lockdown, these people packed their bags and came to Noida. However, due to lockdown, the buses were not available and they were stranded,” said Farmood Ali Pundir, station house office, Phase 2 police station.

He said that around 1,000 people had gathered at different bus stands in search of public transport.

A number of people were seen carrying their bags and waiting for the buses going towards Bulandshahr, Hapur, Meerut, Mathura, Agra, etc.

Anurag Yadav, assistant regional manager, UPSRTC, said that the buses were arranged and their movement continued from 10pm to 2am. “We are on alert and ready to help evacuate people in emergency situations,” he said.