Delhi govt readies to send workers home, bring back students

While a timeline is yet to be finalised, the buses are expected to leave for Kota, around 520 kms away, in a day or two, an official said.

The Delhi government will bring back over 750 students stranded from Kota in Rajasthan, senior government officials said on Thursday. The government will also introduce an online application system to help thousands of migrant workers in the city to return to their native states.

Migrant workers have been walking across states to reach their hometowns and villages in the absence of any form of transport during the nationwide lockdown.

While a timeline is yet to be finalised, the buses are expected to leave for Kota, around 520 kms away, in a day or two, an official said.

This came a day after the Union home ministry issued guidelines for state governments to enable the return of migrants, students and pilgrims, in buses. These people are stranded due to the ongoing lockdown that was started on March 25 and extended till May 3, to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease Covid-19.

Soon after the guidelines were issued, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday had said that his government will come up with a detailed plan later this week and urged migrant workers in the city to stay indoor till then.

“The transport department has been directed to arrange 30 private buses. Each bus will seat around 25 students only owing to social distancing norms. We are trying our best to send the buses by tomorrow so that the students can reach Delhi by Saturday. We will bring back 750-800 students. Besides, we can also arrange for a second batch of buses, in case the Kota administration informs that there are more Delhi students stranded there,” said a second senior official on condition of anonymity.

With regard to transporting people stuck in the lockdown, most requests to the Delhi government were from those wishing to leave for their home state elsewhere.

“So far, we have received only a few requests to bring people back to Delhi. These are mostly pilgrims, family members or students. Majority are of those who want to go to other states such as UP, Bihar, Haryana, West Bengal and so on,” said a third senior government official.

This point was also highlighted by Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday.

“We are initiating talks with different states who want to take their people back from Delhi. I want to make it clear that it will be the concerned state’s responsibility to send buses to Delhi and take them home safely. Delhi government, on its part, will conduct thorough medical screening of all those who leave the city and hand over their records to the concerned state government,” Jain said.

A senior government official said that the government has sought appointment for video conference with the Centre as well as with other states.

Be it students, parents or migrant workers, everyone who will be transported from one state to the other will not just have to undergo medical screening, but will also have to mandatorily home quarantine themselves for 14 days upon reaching their home state, a senior official said. Only people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 would be allowed to travel.

The Delhi government is planning to set up a system under which migrant workers and others can apply for special passes either online, through a weblink which the government is working on, or by calling the integrated helpline 1031, which was, so far, receiving distress calls related to food distribution, ration, compensation for auto drivers and construction workers and those related to Covid-19 related medical emergencies.

“The idea is to prepare an application system so that people can be sent back systematically and the city does not have to witness a repeat of the Anand Vihar situation. The proposed system aims at ensuring people are given dates, time slots, bus details and facility to travel to the concerned boarding point,” said the official.

A day after the nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, thousands of migrant workers flocked to the Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal at the Delhi-UP border hoping to get a ride to their respective native states. A day later, the Delhi government was forced to help them with buses connecting them to borders of neighbouring states and some specific destinations for another day until the lockdown could be properly imposed. Kejriwal had then urged the remaining migrant workers to stay back ensuring them shelter and regular meals.

Currently, over 20,000 migrants are staying in 328 shelter homes across the city. More than 1 million people, comprising a large chunk of migrant workers, avail free meals distributed by the government, officials said.

Groups of trade unions in the city peg the total number of migrant workers employed in the unorganised sector at around 1.5 million – with the largest chunk employed in the construction sector.

The demand for such a scheme increased after states such as UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar coordinated among themselves to facilitate interstate travel of students and pilgrims caught in the lockdown.

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