New Delhi: As the nation is battling the second wave of COVID-19, migrant labourers are seen gathering at the state borders in order to go back to their native places. They said they were out of work and had no means to survive. They feared another lockdown would make their life even more miserable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, in a television address to citizens on Tuesday night, said lockdown will be the "last option".
Despite an appeal from state governments to the migrant labourers asking them not to leave, thousands of them were seeing flocking railway stations and bu stands. They said they were not willing to face another 2020-like situation and hence decided it was better to go back home before "it was too late".
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A migrant labourer, who was returning to his native place in Bihar, told ETV Bharat, "There is no guarantee of food here amid lockdown. At least, back home we will find something to survive on."
"The government will first impose the lockdown for a few days and then extend it further. We are not ready for it," another person, who was all set to travel back to Madhubani in Bihar, said.
Last year, when the government announced a total lockdown without giving people much time to prepare for the coming days, thousands of migrant labourers were left stranded with little food and no transport. Most of them had walked hundreds of kilometres to their native places.
However, this year, the Ministry of Railways had clarified that there will be no shortage of trains and urged people not to panic on the basis of any speculation.
Ministry of Railways spokesperson DJ Narain told ETV Bharat, "Normal situation is maintained at all the railway stations. There is no information of overcrowding or rush anywhere. People should ignore speculations and wait for the official announcements by the Indian Railways."
"The Railways is continuing to operate its services. Some additional trains are also being started on some routes where the demand is more. There is no need to panic. I urge people to reserve tickets and travel comfortably," he said.
While announcing the lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had appealed to migrants not to leave the national capital and assured them that the lockdown would last only six days.
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The Congress, on the other hand, has been repeatedly demanding the Central government to grant financial assistance to migrant workers during such tough times. Party leaders said it was the Centre's responsibility to look after its people as the state governments were already under severe stress.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The only suggestion which is relevant in this current state is a monthly income transfer of Rs 6,000 to the account of every eligible citizen. The states are under severe financial stress. The Centre has PM-CARES. Nobody knows what is happening to that money. Almost Rs 30,000 crores have been spent on Central Vista. But the Centre has no money to share with states."
"To expect that the state governments are going to be able to come forward with financial assistance is very unrealistic. They are not in a position to bear the financial burden. It is the Central government's fundamental responsibility to make sure that the livelihoods are not threatened more than they are," he added.
He alleged that though the Congress had written to the Prime Minister regarding this demand, there was a "thundering silence" from Modi.
Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken questioned the Delhi government's planning before imposing the lockdown.
Maken said, "We should have taken a lesson from last year. It is indeed a case of trust deficit and both the Central as well as Delhi governments are responsible for the prevailing situation. The urban poor, including street vendors, migrant labourers, should have been identified to transfer money directly into their accounts. In addition to this, both the Centre and Delhi governments should have assured to the people that proper arrangements will be made for them if they wished to go to their native places."
