Chandigarh: Amid a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many migrant workers set out on foot from parts of Haryana including Panipat to travel to their homes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Some workers, who were accompanied by their wives and children, covered long distance on foot to reach Delhi. Carrying some luggage on their head, Rohit Kumar and Dinesh, who set out from Panipat, told the media that they worked as construction workers in Panipat and were headed to their home town Jhansi in UP.
"After the lockdown was announced, we were left with no work. The landlord at the rented premises in Panipat where we were staying told us to vacate. We have exhausted all our money. What will we feed our children?" asked Rohit, a migrant.
Another migrant worker who set out from Panipat, which is famous as a textile hub, said, I used to work as a painter. Our contractor has not paid us for the work this month citing the lockdown.
When pointed out that the government had made arrangements for workers including free food and stay, he said "My family has not eaten properly for a week. The food does not reach us every time and on occasions we go hungry. At least in our homes in UP, we can do something."
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All these workers were headed towards Delhi for an onward journey to their hometowns in UP and Bihar.
There were reports of migrant workers setting out on foot towards Delhi and onwards from few other places in Haryana, including Gurugram, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh.
Panipat Deputy Commissioner Hema Sharma told sources over the phone that they had received reports that there was some movement of workers from Panipat on Friday.
We have assured all migrant workers, daily wage earners, street vendors and other poor sections of society that they need not worry as the administration will take care of their needs in the present situation, she said.
On Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the officers of district administrations across the state to make appropriate arrangements for setting up the medical, shelter and food facilities for the migrant workers working in the state.
The CM gave these directions while presiding over the crisis coordination committee meeting with senior officers through video-conferencing, an official statement said.
Anil Vij, the state's Home Minister, told sources on Saturday that the state government has decided to provide food and shelter to the migrant workers, street vendors, homeless and other poor sections with directions already given to deputy commissioners to make all arrangements in this regard.
The purpose of a lockdown is that nobody takes up movement from one place to another, he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister directed the officers to closely monitor the movement of migrant workers in their respective districts and added that the maximum number of workers who are working in state should be asked to stay in the 'safe camps' being set up by the state government in each district.
Apart from this, medical testing of the migrant workers should also be done by setting up special medical camps. If there is any chance of a migrant testing positive of coronavirus, then they can be quarantined, the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Khattar said that checkpoints should be set up in each district to stop the movement of workers and encouraged them to stay in 'safe camps' or relief shelters which have been specially set up for them.
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The Chief Minister further directed district-level officers to ask industrialists in respective districts to make staying and food arrangements for the migrants working in factories and industrial units run by them.
For the poor people who are not included in the Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojana and Construction Workers Board list, Khattar wanted their registration work to be expedited so that they too can get financial help of Rs 1,000 per week along with other basic assistance.
The Chief Minister directed the officers to also ensure maximum involvement of volunteers, social organisations and NGOs to ensure that the supply chain of essential commodities does not get disrupted. (PTI report)
