Congress’ buses yet to reach Noida

The party claims they had arranged 600 buses from Rajasthan and 400 from Delhi.

After the Uttar Pradesh government accepted Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s offer of 1,000 buses to send migrant workers stranded in different border areas of the state, not one was seen at the stations in Greater Noida or Noida. The Congress said they were caught in paperwork, a handiwork by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Centre and UP government.

Noida police pesronnel along with Congress workers seen near Mahamaya flyover after buses arranged to ferry migrants to their home towns were not allowed, in Noida on May 19, 2020. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“At 11pm Monday, Uttar Pradesh officials wrote to us asking to send the buses to Lucknow complete with all papers like fitness certificate, pollution certificate, driving licence etc - by 10 am on Tuesday,” said Congress UP general secretary Virendra Singh Guddu. “And later, they asked us to send the buses to Noida’s Expo Mart in sector 62 instead, Ghaziabad’s Kaushambi and Sahibabad areas.”

The party claims they had arranged 600 buses from Rajasthan and 400 from Delhi.

“The ones from Rajasthan were on their way to Lucknow when they got orders to go to Noida’s sector 62. But at the Rajasthan-Agra border, they were stopped by the regional transport department despite having all required documents. The Delhi buses too were stopped at the Noida-Delhi despite having all documents. The BJP is playing cheap politics with poor migrants, who are forced to walk on roads in this scorching heat with their families and children. Our senior leaders are a protesting in Agra, and we are at the Noida-Delhi border with our buses. We will ensure buses reach Noida and Ghaziabad on Wednesday,” said Guddu.

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration said that they expected these buses to arrive in the morning.

“Our top officials in Lucknow informed us that these buses would arrive to pick up migrant labourers at the Expo Mart. When the did not arrive, we continued with our plan of using our designated buses to ferry migrant workers,” said Anil Kumar Singh, chief development officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, who is looking after the operation of sending migrants to hometowns. “Migrants can register via online helpline or at 180 and then we arrange adequate buses for them daily or trains.” He refused to comment on the Congress party allegations that their buses were stopped without valid reason.

“Congress is playing politics with migrant workers’ suffering during this crisis which is very sad. Congress has sent buses which are not having required documents. It means they are not serious to help the migrants and needy. BJP and its workers are working day and night to help migrants and all who need it during this crisis,” said Dhirendra Singh BJP MLA from Jewar.

Uttar Pradesh had sealed all its borders after 26 workers died in a road accident on Saturday. Migrant workers travelling in trucks and other vehicles and on foot would be asked to wait for buses or trains that the administration would arrange. It was then that Priyanka Gandhi, also party in-charge of UP (east) tweeted to the UP government with her request that was later accepted.

On Tuesday, she tweeted: “UP government in its inquiry found that 879 out of 1049 buses have valid documents. Then they should allow these buses to operate. And our 500 buses are stopped are at border near Agra. And 300 buses are reaching Noida from Delhi. They should allow entry to buses having al documents. People are suffering we cannot wait.”