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Maharashtra government: Medical certificates not needed, migrants will be screened
In a relief for lakhs of migrants stranded in the state who are waiting to return to their home states, the Maharashtra government on Thursday issued a clarification
In a relief for lakhs of migrants stranded in the state who are waiting to return to their home states, the Maharashtra government on Thursday issued a clarification that there is no need to attach a medical certificate to the registration form required to facilitate the journey.
In an order signed by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta, the state amended an earlier order which made it mandatory for migrant workers to submit a fitness certificate from a registered medical practitioner with their registration forms.
The decision was taken in the wake of the long queues outside private practitioners’ offices, diluting social distancing measures and after the migrants complained that some doctors were overcharging them for the medical certificate.
The new order stated that migrants/stranded persons who wish to return to their home states should be screened at the time of starting the journey with a digital thermometer and symptomatic examination free of cost must be conducted by the state or civic officials. Corporations can also hire registered medical practitioners for the exercise, the order said. A single-list of all passengers, indicating that they have been screened and found to be not displaying any influenza-like illness (ILI), be issued by the medical person-in-charge, stated the directive.
State minister Chhagan Bhujbal said contradictory orders by the state created confusion and panic among migrants.
Speaking to a regional news channel, Bhujbal said that several migrants stuck in the state want to return home but are confused due to unclear orders. He added that he took up the issue during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
“The migrants are confused if they should go home or to the doctor first. So the ones who have the authority to issue orders, should do so immediately quickly. The notifications that are coming now are creating confusion,” he said.
He also pointed out that migrants were seen on the Mumbai-Agra highway, walking back to their home states.
“Such scenes are heart-rending and they are unfitting for a state such as ours… There is no physical distancing maintained when they walk. They enter villages; drink water there and eat there. Instead, they should be ferried back to their villages in one go,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sion police sent 36 daily wage workers from Rajasthan back to their native homes in two buses on Wednesday evening, Lalita Gaikwad, senior inspector of Sion police station said. The police had arranged for biscuits, water and fruits for the migrants’ journey.
