After receiving a letter from the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the UP government has agreed to deploy buses for stranded migrant labourers who are struggling to make their journey back home. The Yogi Adityanath-led UP government permitted 1,000 buses arranged by the Congress leader for the stranded migrants.
The Uttar Pradesh Government consented to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s proposal through a letter.
Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday wrote a letter to the UP Chief Minister asking permission to arrange 1,000 buses for the migrant workers wanting to return home, adding that the Congress will bear expenses of their homeward journey.
In her letter to Adityanath, Priyanka pointed out that 65 migrant workers have been killed in various accidents across the country, adding that the stranded labourers are the “nation builders”.
“Despite continued announcements by the government, no proper arrangement has been made for their safe return,” Priyanka claimed.
Priyanka said that the Congress wants to run 500 buses each from the Gazipur (Ghaziabad) and Noida borders for them.
“We are seeking your permission to run 1,000 buses to help the migrant labourers,” she said.
“The Congress Party is committed to help them. We hope that you will help us in this,” Priyanka added.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Saturday directed district authorities not to allow migrants to travel by unsafe means and to ensure that they are transported in buses after 26 workers who were returning to their homes died in a truck-trailer collision in Auraiya.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said a total of 16.50 lakh migrant workers have already returned to the state through trains and other means of transport.
The lockdown which started on March 25 to check the spread of coronavirus has left lakhs of migrant wokers without a livelihood, forcing them to return to their native places.
Shramik special trains are being run since May 1 for the migrants, but a large number of people have not been able to avail the facility.
Buses have also been arranged by some states, still they have been inadequate and many people have been trekking for hundreds of kilometres or travelling in crowded trucks and other vehicles on long perilous road journeys.
