354 stranded labourers to be flown to C'garh from Bengaluru

At least 354 labourers from Chhattisgarh, stranded in Karnataka due to the coronavirus induced-lockdown, will reach Raipur by flight on Thursday and Friday, officials here said.

Alumni of the National Law University, Bengaluru and National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad have arranged air travel for these labourers who will return to Chhattisgarh from Bengaluru by two flights in next two days, they said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday tweeted that "we are grateful for this cooperation" and "we are making arrangements to shift everyone to the quarantine center in their home districts".

The initiative was taken by the Samarth Charitable Trust and We The People organisation which contacted alumni of the two law universities for assistance, Team Leader of the trust Manjeet Kaur Bal told PTI.

"Alumni of National Law University, Bengaluru have arranged the air travel for 180 workers who will arrive here\ at 9:50 am on Thursday by an Indigo flight," she said.

The travel cost of other 174 labourers who will reach here on June 5 is being borne by alumni of NALSAR, she added.

Arrangement of transportation of these labourers to the airport in Bengaluru and provision of food for them was being done by various civil society organizations, she added.

A district administration official said that health check-up and transportation to quarantine facilities have been arranged at the airport here.