Guwahati (Assam): Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday appealed to those stranded in green and zones outside the state to defer their return, if possible, though the state government has put no restriction on their way back home.
The state government has "imposed no restriction on their return to their motherland but we appeal to those in the green zones to consider their decision as economic activities will begin in these areas", the minister said at a press conference in Assam.
He said that if they return from red zone areas, they will be a direct threat to their immediate family members and "so we appeal to them to wait for some more time but we leave it to the judgement of the people. Assam government will put no restrictions on their return".
More than 6 lakh people have applied for financial assistance of Rs 2,000 each being provided by the state while many others who are financially in a better condition did not apply for this, he said.
"If we take into account these numbers along with the headcount of their family members, we can estimate that nearly 20 lakh people from Assam are in different states. Bringing them all back will be a huge and time taking process," Sarma said.
"If those who have been provided with financial assistance decide not to return, they will continue to receive Rs 2,000 till the situation becomes normal," the Minister said.
Also read: Lockdown 3.0: Guidelines for red, orange and green zones
The state government has already issued a help line number-7428159966-for those who did not apply for financial help and after 48 hours, a link will be sent to them and they have to furnish the details regarding their return.
Those who had already called for financial assistance need not call but will be automatically sent a link after 48 hours, he said.
Those who want to return by road by their own vehicles or hiring vehicles will have to send a mail at
assamtransportrelief@gmail.com and passes will be issued to them.
A joint post of the police and health department will be set up at Srirampur and Boxirhat for registration of those returning by road and they will be issued passes to proceed for health checkups according to their destinations.
After receiving the list of applicants for train journey, the state government will submit it to the Northeast
Frontier Railways and the decision to run the trains from different locations will be taken by the railway authorities, the minister added.
PTI Report
