New Delhi: Thousands of migrant workers have been gathering at Delhi’s Anand Vihar ISBT and other bus and railway stations to go back to their hometowns even though the 6-day lockdown has come into effect here.
Many were seen walking out of the bus station with heavy loads on their heads and shoulders. The migrant workers in Delhi, who could hardly afford a trip back home, were in for a surprise at Anand Vihar as they claimed of being charged 10 times more than the usual fare.
Hundreds of migrant workers, including women and children, out of exhaustion were seen laying on the ground with their heads on sacks looking numbly at the hustles of the national capitals.
Visuals from ISBT and other terminals showed massive crowds waiting to return home. Heavy police force has been deployed at the bus and railway stations to handle the crowd.
Policemen deployed in the area were also trying to counsel the migrant workers to stay back as the lockdown was for a few days only, according to a senior police official.
However, migrants feared that the lockdown could be extended as the situation of COVID-19 was deteriorating day by day.
Heavy traffic congestion was seen in several parts of the national capital, with passengers striving to reach their homes. The migrants had to wait for hours at the bus stop with no choice to maintain social distancing.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a six-day Covid-19 lockdown from 10pm on April 19 till 5am on April 26 and urged migrant workers to not leave the national capital during this period. Kejriwal pointed out that its duration being only six days, the present lockdown was a relatively “short” one, and promised that the government will “take care” of them through this crisis. He also assured that the Delhi government will be working hard to ensure adequate medical facilities in the national capital and remained hopeful that the government won’t need to extend the current lockdown any further.
Comments are closed.