Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced that the free bus service for migrant workers from Karnataka to return to their homes will be extended in the state till Thursday.
Earlier, the state government had announced that the service will be available till Tuesday, May 5, but it has now been extended to May 7.
The state government announced that as of Monday, around 2,000 buses had transported 59,880 migrant workers back to their homes. "Today (Monday) also around 800 buses form Bangalore city and 200 from other parts of the state operated to ferry migrant workers," a press release by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated.
The decision to make travel arrangements free of cost for migrant workers was taken on Sunday after the state government came under intense pressure for charging workers exorbitant fares to travel by bus.
On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of workers paid high fares to return to their homes.This angered migrants who have been without a job since the lockdown was imposed in the country on March 25. Many workers said that they are going home because they are struggling for food and water, and did not want to live on the kindness of strangers.
Read: At Bengaluru’s bus stand, migrant workers have to pay exorbitant fares to get home
On Sunday, the state government also started train services to send workers from Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha back to their hometowns. "Four trains have transported 4,800 passengers to these states," stated a press release by the CMO.
On Monday, two more trains set off to Jaipur in Rajasthan and Patna in Bihar. Free food and drinking water has been provided to all the passengers, said the release by the CMO.