Coronavirus Outbreak: Ajit Pawar urges Piyush Goyal to run special trains for migrants after lockdown ends on 3 May
According to an official statement, in a letter to Goyal, Pawar said that the migrant workers, stranded in different parts of Maharashtra, may step out in big numbers to return to their states when the train services resume after the lockdown is lifted.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to run special train services from Mumbai and Pune to ferry migrant workers stuck in Maharashtra to their native states after the lockdown ends on 3 May.
Follow LIVE updates on Coronavirus Outbreak here
According to an official statement, in a letter to Goyal, Pawar said that the migrant workers, stranded in different parts of Maharashtra, may step out in big numbers to return to their states when the train services resume after the lockdown is lifted.
This can lead to law and order problems (with workers coming out in big numbers), he added.
To avoid this, the Railway Ministry should run special trains, he demanded. The Maharashtra Finance Minister said that the state government has arranged accommodation and food for the migrant workers, who hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other states.
He said six-and-half lakh workers are currently staying across the shelters provided by the state government.
Pawar also referred to the scores of migrant workers gathering outside Bandra Railway Station in Mumbai on 14 April when the nationwide lockdown was to end, but was extended till 3 May, and said the incident marked how desperate the labourers were to return to their home states.
"The law and order problem can be avoided and workers can return to their respective home states safely if the Railway Ministry runs special trains for them after the lockdown period is over," the statement quoted Pawar as saying in the letter.
also read
From Colombia or Haiti, migrants' long road ends in Canada
In a hurry to get into their new country, Haitians, Venezuelans, Colombians and Turks hasten their pace as they step out of a car with their heads down to finally cross the last border of their journey: one separating Canada and the United States, between New York state and Montreal.
Italy's Meloni says her 'conscience is clear' after migrant shipwrecks
On Sunday, thirty people went missing, feared drowned, after the boat they were traveling from Libya capsized in bad weather. Seventeen people were rescued and were brought ashore to Italy.
From Colombia or Haiti, migrants' long road ends in Canada
Among the latest ones to arrive under a heavy snowfall, some don't have winter coats or boots, only light clothes and sneakers