At a time that thousands of migrant workers across the country have set out on foot to make it back home, the Centre on Sunday stated that directions had been issued to seal state borders.
“States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways. Only movement of goods should be allowed. DMs [District Magistrates] and SPs [Superintendent of Police] should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions which have been issued under the DM [Disaster Management] Act,” a press release issued by the central government says.
During a video conference with Chief Secretaries and DGPs, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities or on highways as the lockdown continues.
In the press release, the government maintained that essential supplies have been arranged for, and that the situation is being monitored round the clock. It further said adequate arrangements for the food and shelter of the poor and the needy, including migrant labourers, be made at their place of work.
The Centre said that states have been told to ensure that wages are paid to labourers on time at their place of work, without any cut. “House Rent should not be demanded from the labourers for this period. Action should be taken against those who are asking labourers or students to vacate the premises,” it said.
These announcements and directions came a day after a large number of migrant workers across the country started to walk back to their native places, often hundreds of kilometres away, along with their families as all modes of transportation have been suspended, and was done so on short notice.
With the railway also a part of the lockdown, people in other states, particularly Maharashtra, are climbing on to goods trains, oil tankers and even milk tankers in an attempt to reach their destination.
The union government has, however, said that those who have violated the lockdown and travelled during the period of lockdown will be subject to a minimum of 14 days of quarantine in government quarantine facilities.
This is especially crucial at a time when people are gathering at the Delhi-UP and Delhi-Haryana border and also on the UP-Bihar border to return to their homes in UP. With limited options left for travel, many are walking the distance on foot.
UPSRTC Managing Director Raj Shekhar said that 1,000 buses had been deployed to bring stranded migrants from the border areas as well as railway stations and bus stations.
The Delhi government on Saturday had said 570 buses have been deployed to drop migrants to the Uttar Pradesh border, expecting the Yogi Adityanath government to press buses in the neighbouring state.
The police also lathicharged migrant labourers at the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border on Thursday night when workers from Telangana were trying to enter. They were reportedly lathicharged by the Andhra Pradesh police, following which stone pelting ensued.
On Sunday, migrant workers in Kerala gathered on the roads in Changanassery in protest, stating that they were out of money, wanted to go home, and wanted vehicles to be provided for the same.
The implementation of the lockdown, with just a four-hour notice leading to the suspension of all transport services along with confusion regarding the supply of essential services as well as wages has been slammed by many, especially stating it is “triggered an exodus”.
Many areas across the country were teeming with people due to how the lockdown was implemented, going against the very idea of social distancing to curb the spread of coronavirus.
While we #StayHome
— Amil Bhatnagar (@AmilwithanL) March 29, 2020
Ghaziabad, 3 am.#21daylockdown #MigrantsOnTheRoad pic.twitter.com/QDhBam61sT
As buses begin to leave towards Western UP from Lal Kuan, ahead of Anand Vihar.#lockdown #CoronaLockdown@IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/vEKceJZAKC
— Amil Bhatnagar (@AmilwithanL) March 28, 2020
Lal Kuan, Ghaziabad at 3:30 this afternoon. @newslaundry pic.twitter.com/n65G5ex2rx
— Ayush Tiwari (@sighyush) March 29, 2020
A migrant worker and his family on the move in Ghazipur, Delhi-UP border on NH-24, Friday night. They are heading home to their village in UP. (Photo: Gajendra Yadav) pic.twitter.com/L8IuLLLVBY
— Seema Chishti (@seemay) March 28, 2020
Migrant workers walk along a road to return to their villages in Jhansi from Rohtak (almost 500 kms) during a nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading of coronavirus. @Reuters / Danish Siddiqui #21daylockdown #coronavirus #india pic.twitter.com/ron4THd6AN
— Danish Siddiqui (@dansiddiqui) March 26, 2020
Such a fantastic communicator and orator that by making a speech, he caused an immediate, nationwide exodus of Partition proportions.
— Tony Joseph (@tjoseph0010) March 28, 2020
After partition, this must be the largest ever mass migration India has seen
— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) March 28, 2020
And it's unbelievable that this exodus is happening during a pandemic
Will Modi & Shah take responsibility for putting the lives of these poor people at risk through infection?pic.twitter.com/cjgcgUl52v
With PTI inputs