Mumbai Police reach out to migrant workers

Following the relaxation of lockdown norms, the city police have started to visit food distribution points, community kitchens, relief camps and shelters to distribute

Following the relaxation of lockdown norms, the city police have started to visit food distribution points, community kitchens, relief camps and shelters to distribute registration forms to migrant workers, who are stranded owing to the lockdown, to enable them to travel back to their hometown.

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The ministry of home affairs on Friday allowed inter-state road transport for migrant workers, pilgrims and students after which the Indian Railways announced special ‘shramik trains’ for migrant workers.

Mumbai Police officials said that most migrant workers come from poor background and can’t access the internet, which is why the top brass decided to reach out to them in person. According to a senior police officer, after the Bandra railway station chaos on April 14, after more than 1,000 labourers turned up on hearing rumours that train services would begin, they had identified the pockets where most stranded migrants and labourers live to provide them food and other essentials. The clusters are in Bandra and Wadala TT, along with the docks namely Sewri, Mazagaon, Reay Road, Cotton Green, Govandi, Mankhurd, Chembur, north Borivli and Kandivli.

“Our men are distributing the form manually to reach out to maximum number of stranded migrant workers, pilgrims and students. Many migrants are given forms at the food distribution points, community kitchens and relief camps and shelters,” said Vinoy Kumar Choubey, additional director general (law and order), Mumbai Police.

Public announcements are being made in slums to discourage migrant workers from rushing to police stations or railway stations with the forms. Only one member of a group is allowed to visit a police station with the required documents. “The forms are handed out with the instruction that they must avoid applying for a single person’s travel and instead form a group of 25 to 40 and apply together. They are also being told about the required documents such as health clearance certificate from a registered doctor, Aadhaar card details, etc.,” Choubey said. “Separate teams under zonal DCPs, the nodal officers for the task, will segregate the forms and arrange for the transport in coordination with the Railways and state road transport department. Once we get forms of around 1,000 stranded migrants wishing to go to the same destination, we will approach the railways to arrange a train for the said destination.”

However, despite the announcement, migrant workers thronged police stations such as Nirmal Nagar, Vanrai, Dharavi, Nagpada to submit forms. Police officers at these stations had difficulty in making the applicants maintain social distance and manage the crowd. However, the police could not provide the data on the number of applications they have received so far.

Migrants stranded in containment areas are not included in this set up, irrespective of their health conditions.