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Pained by joblessness, migrants in Ludhiana protest to be sent back home
Say they have neither been supported by their employers nor by the district administration when it comes to ration
Stranded in Ludhiana amid uneployment, over 200 migrants from Bihar took out a protest march on Wednesday.
Demanding that the administration send them back home as they had no money or food here, the protesters marched from railway station to the office of the deputy commissioner and then to the Durga Mata Temple near Jagraon Bridge.
The workers said they had run out of money and had no support from their employers or administration for ration. “I registered on the Punjab helpline portal around 10 days ago to travel back home through Shramik Special trains, but have not received the date of boarding information yet,” said Mukesh Kumar, a native of Katihar in Bihar.
Kumar said he had also applied for ration on the helpline number, but received nothing, adding that the administration should immediately make arrangements to send them to their home states.
Another migrant, Shahnawaz, who hails from Bettiah, said he had made several rounds of the railway station and Guru Nanak stadium, but no one was guiding him about the special trains. “I received a confirmation message after applying for the trains a week ago, but have no information on when I can leave,” he said.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-3) Gurpreet Kaur Purewal explained the procedure for the special trains to the protesters, who then left the spot.
Earlier on Tuesday, migrants had blocked the Ludhiana-Delhi National Highway near Kakowal Road demanding to be sent back their states.
Meanwhile, according to the administration, around seven lakh migrants from Ludhiana have registered on the Punjab helpline portal. So far, on an average, five trains are running daily carrying around 6,000 passengers.
On Wednesday, five trains with around 6,000 passengers left the Ludhiana railway station for Hardoi, Fatehpur, Unnao, Gorakhpur and Gonda.
Deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said the frequency of trains will be increased, which will help cater to many more migrants. As many as seven trains will run on Thursday and eight trains on Friday, he added.
“The nodal officers of the state are coordinating with governments of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states, and they are being requested to increase the number of trains. We are also asking them to allow migrants to come by road, and accordingly we will also allow bus services,” Agrawal said.
He appealed to the migrants not to believe in rumours, and patiently wait for information about their date of boarding. “The train and bus services are allowed only after getting approval from the respective districts where they want to travel. So, they should not travel without permission,” he added.
