Haryana govt sends 2.90 lakh migrant labourers to native states

The Haryana government has sent nearly 2.90 lakh migrant labourers in 77 special trains and 5,500 buses to their native states, an official said on Tuesday.

Additional Director General of Police, CID, Anil Kumar Rao said the expenditure borne on their transportation was met by the Haryana government.

“As many as 2.90 lakh such labourers have so far been sent to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, northeastern states and other states of the country by 77 trains and 5,500 buses."

“An expenditure of over Rs 10 crore has been incurred on the transportation of migrant labourers in a safe and systematic manner,” Rao, who is also the nodal officer for coordinating with other states for the safe transportation of migrants, said in an official statement here.

The migrants from neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also been sent back since the nationwide lockdown began, he said.

Rao said the entire expenditure on the transportation of the migrant labourers willing to go back home is being met through the Haryana Corona Relief Fund.

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He said around 15,000 labourers are left in the state who are willing to return and for them arrangement of trains and buses have been made in adequate numbers.

The official added that after the resumption of economic and industrial activities in Haryana following relaxations amid the lockdown, a large number of migrant labourers and workers have opted to stay back and started working in the industrial establishments as earlier.

On Monday, arrangements of 100 buses had been made, but only 15 buses left for other states due to lesser number of labourers to board the vehicles, he said.

He said the state government is committed to send every migrant labourer willing to go back to his home state.

Rao said some migrants from Manipur who were in Delhi had contacted the Haryana government after which they were brought to Gurgaon.

From there, they were sent to Manipur by a train on Monday on government expenditure, the official added.

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