UP lets migrants return to villages

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, March 23

Around 3,500 persons returning from Covid-19 hit Maharashtra and Gujarat two days ago after being rendered jobless were allowed to proceed to their respective villages in UP instead of quarantining them in Lucknow.

The Pushpak Express and Lokmanya Tilak Express has brought thousands of passengers from Mumbai and other districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Describing this as a major blunder health experts point out that the government expecting these people to self-quarantine themselves once they reach their villages is farfetched and not practical.

The UP Government’s state transport department had made special arrangement on Saturday evening to ferry these passengers arriving from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Uttar Pradesh State Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) Managing Director Raj Shekhar informed that he had arranged for about 120 buses but the number of passengers was much more.

Scenes at the railway station showed that passengers were desperate to reach their home and many managed to enter the buses through the windows.

Announcing the lockdown of 16 districts on Sunday evening, CM Yogi had appealed to all those who have returned home to remain indoors and not meet their families.

He had threatened them that if they do not do so voluntarily, the district administration would prepare of list of such people and quarantine them.