Lockdown fears: Huge rush at ISBT Kaushambi as migrants leave for home towns

Ghaziabad: Panic gripped daily wagers and labourers on Monday, as they swarmed the Kaushambi Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Ghaziabad hours after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day lockdown in the national capital

Ghaziabad: Panic gripped daily wagers and labourers on Monday, as they swarmed the Kaushambi Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Ghaziabad hours after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day lockdown in the national capital. The Kaushambi ISBT was a hotbed of large-scale migrant labourers in 2020, when the coronavirus-induced lockdown was imposed.

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Thousands of migrants, all natives of Uttar Pradesh, have been returning to the state since Monday afternoon, and the officials of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) said that they expect a massive gathering till late night. Majority of the people at the ISBT were, however, heading to their homes. They said that the lockdown could be extended, like the one imposed last year, and that they do not want to wait for six more days to know whether the lockdown will be lifted or not.

Delhi is already under a weekend curfew, and now, a 10 pm to 5 am restrictions are in place till April 30.

“My wife died due to tuberculosis during the lockdown last year. So, I had sent my minor daughter home, and now I’m returning to my hometown with my minor son. The eatery where I worked and prepared rumali roti will also remain closed... I hope to go back to work as soon as possible. Otherwise, all the money I have will be spent during the lockdown,” said 32-year-old migrant worker Mohammad Adil. Adil, who is a native of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, lives in Delhi’s Shastri Park.

Hemant Kumar, 22, also rushed to the ISBT in search of a bus to his home in UP’s Auraiya. “In 2020, the daily wagers suffered irreparable losses due to lockdown. Many waited for a month, but the lockdown was extended for three months. So, we are not taking any chance this time. I had come here in search of a job and was staying with my brother in Seelampur. Now, I’m returning home. There was a weekend lockdown for two days, and now, another announcement of a week-long lockdown,” Hemant said.

On Monday, the sole foot over bridge connecting the ISBT in Anand Vihar was fully packed with migrants. “It took me more than 30 minutes to cross the foot over bridge and reach the bus station. There was a mad rush towards the bus station, and no one adhered to social distancing. Nobody maintained Covid-19 protocols... I had joined a call centre in Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar three months ago. I earned ₹10,000 per month. I called my parents after the announcement of the lockdown today. They have told me to return home. I resigned from my job today,” said Prince Dubey, who is a native of Etawah.

Meanwhile, the private bus operators made hay by overcharging passengers amid the Monday chaos. Suraj Kumar, attendant of one of the private buses, was seen searching for passengers at the ISBT though their buses operate from EDM Mall near the Delhi-Ghaziabad border. “The seats are full, and there is a huge demand for buses. We are charging ₹2,200 for Gorakhpur, and ₹1,400 for cities like Kanpur and Lucknow,” Suraj said.

The UPSRTC officials said that the fare of government buses for Gorakhpur is about ₹1,400, and about ₹650 for Lucknow. “We can’t intervene much as the area is under jurisdiction of Delhi. We dispatched around 600 buses from Kaushambi, and 150 from ISBT in Anand Vihar by Monday evening. We expect to dispatch around 1,200 buses by Monday late night. We are also making arrangements for another 1,000 buses that will be dispatched throughout the night. We are trying to maintain Covid-19 protocols, but there’s a huge crowd which is likely to increase till late night,” said AK Singh, regional manager, UPSRTC.

On a normal day, the UPSRTC operates around 600 buses from Kaushambi — which also includes around 250 buses on local routes like Hapur and Meerut, among others, according to the officials. “Generally, the occupancy in 52-seater buses is about 50-60%. Today, we have full occupancy in buses departing to various districts in Uttar Pradesh,” said another UPSRTC official, adding that only 60 buses departed from Kaushambi on Sunday due to the weekend lockdown in Delhi.

District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey did not respond to the calls.