Dhabas, wedding halls in Pune district to provide food, shelter to migrant labourers

Migrants going home on foot can rest at camps set up on roads leading to Nashik, Bengaluru and Hyderabad

Left without jobs and desperate to return home amid the lockdown, migrant labourers have set off on foot from Pune for their native places.

Police officials conduct verification of migrant workers at Sinhgad road near Rajaram bridge before beig sent to Pune railway station on Saturday. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

The Pune administration has asked the officials concerned to make necessary arrangements for such migrants at dhabas and wedding halls/mangalkaryalays available on highways in the district and set up camps for them.

Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram on Sunday issued an order for tehsildars and block development officers (BDOs) to immediately establish labour camps along main roads. The camps would be established at reasonable distances from each other on the three roads leading to Nashik, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The number and location of the camps would be determined by the tehsildars based on the requirement.

Ram said, “Ever since we lifted travel restrictions for migrants, most of them are trying to reach home either on foot or on bicycles. This long distance travel will hamper their health, and hence, I have ordered all tehsildars to set up camps at dhabas and wedding halls along the national highways so that the workers can rest in between their journey. The will be provided with food and shelter at these camps.”

According to Ram, at each camp, there would be facility of water, toilets, safe place to stay, food and basic medical care, including facility of check-up for flu-like symptoms. Adequate police security would also be deployed at the camps for the safety of migrants, women and children and an official would also be appointed as the camp manager. Migrants can also register online through the state’s ‘Aaple Sarkar portal’ to access transport facilities being provided by the government.

“The camp expenses would be met through the state disaster relief fund. Each taluka has been given Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh as advance to provide relief. I am hoping that other travellers will pitch to pay for these labourers at the dhabbas or even the dhabba owners can help in providing them food during their long walk,” said Ram.

Exit plan for migrants

Ram is leaving no stone unturned to get transportation arranged for the migrant labourers. “We recently sent 900 tribal students to Nandurbar from Ambegaon via state transport bus and are talking to the railways to arrange five more trains to Bihar,” he said.