700 migrant workers gather on Yamuna floodplains, Delhi govt to provide shelter

According to officials of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), the nodal agency for arranging shelter for the homeless in the city, many of them live near the floodplains while many others had arrived there after the central government on Tuesday extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3.

With no place else to go to, nearly 700 migrant workers and daily wager earners gathered on the Yamuna floodplains in search shelter on Wednesday afternoon. With the summer temperature slowly rising, migrants took refuge under a bridge on the banks of the river at Yamuna Pushta in Kashmere Gate.

Migrant workers and homeless gathered on the banks of Yamuna River in Delhi before shifting them to the shelter homes, during lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The large gathering were a repeat of scenes witnessed in Bandra, Mumbai, on Tuesday and gave rise to fears of the Covid-19 virus spreading. The government and police sprung into action after images of the gathering made it to the social media, and mobilised buses to move them to temporary shelters set up in different schools.

According to officials of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), the nodal agency for arranging shelter for the homeless in the city, many of them live near the floodplains while many others had arrived there after the central government on Tuesday extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3.

“Around 650 to 700 people had taken shelter under the bridge. At least 250 of them are those who live near the floodplain itself. They go to government facilities for food and then return to the floodplains. The others had reached there after the lockdown was extended. They were looking for shelter as the days have become hotter,” Bipin Rai, member, DUSIB, said.

He said all of them were taken to different shelters in Rohini, Savda Ghevra and Ghazipur, among others. “The schools still have the capacity to house more people and there are arrangements there for food and medicines as well. On Tuesday, too, about 300 to 350 people had gathered on the Yamuna banks. We are working to shift these people to proper facilities so that they don’t leave the city,” Rai said.

The agencies swung into action after a media person posted a tweet of the workers gathered on the Yamuna floodplains.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted, “Migrant workers have gathered at the Yamuna floodplains. We have made arrangements for their food and shelter. Also, instructions have been given to shift them immediately. …There is no shortage of food or shelter. If anyone comes across people who are homeless or hungry, please do inform us.”

Meanwhile, a senior police officer, not wishing to be named, said the homeless people from Kashmere Gate and Chandni Chowk area were being shifted to night shelters across the city on Wednesday evening. “Police assisted the state administration in the process. There was no movement of any migrant labourers,” the officer claimed.