Around 77,000 migrant workers sent home: Ghaziabad admin

The number of workers returning home swelled due to rise in Covid-19 cases.

The district administration here on Tuesday said around 77,000 migrant workers were sent home in over 1,500 buses.

Migrant workers wait for public transport at Kaushambi bus stand to return to their native place amid fears of a complete lockdown due to the sharp spike in coronavirus cases, in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

Though the workers had started returning home after a rise in coronavirus cases, their number swelled after the Delhi government imposed a week-long lockdown on Monday, an official said.

According to District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey, around 77,000 workers were sent to their destinations in 1,537 buses.

Pandey said the buses were operated from the ISBT, Anand Vihar, Kashmir Gate, and the Kaushambi bus stand.

Teams of officials from the Health Department and police were deployed for the task, which turned challenging due to the sudden announcement of lockdown in Delhi, he said.