Migrants now returning in fewer numbers to Uttarakhand

An Uttarakhand Transport Corporation official told The Indian Express that 100 buses were sent to Delhi on May 25, and the people who registered to return were given information in advance.

The rush of migrant workers who registered to return to Uttarakhand is on the decline, with only 3 per cent of the remaining one lakh people travelling back in the conveyance arranged by the government.

After a cabinet meeting on Friday, government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said, “Out of the people who have registered, maximum have come to the state. The over one lakh yet to come were contacted… around 30,000 responded and only 3,000 gave their confirmation to travel.”

He said that the restarting of work in industrial units could be a reason why the migrant workers declined to return.

An Uttarakhand Transport Corporation official told The Indian Express that 100 buses were sent to Delhi on May 25, and the people who registered to return were given information in advance. The officials expected that the buses would return with over 3,000 passengers the same day. However, only 25 buses were occupied on that day, 20 buses on the May 26, and 45 buses on May 27.

“Only 2,200 passengers turned up despite prior information. After waiting there for three days, 15 buses were called back without passengers,” the official said.

When asked why people were not travelling back, the official said, “Most of the people want to avoid the quarantine period. A large section has traveled from via self-arranged conveyance.”

Meanwhile, Kaushik told the media that the state government has decided to allow private labs to test for Covid-19. Private labs, which have permission from ICMR, would be asked to start testing at a price similar to other states. “A tender process will be done in four days, and those who will take part in the process will be asked to set up labs and do testing at the lowest rate. State government will pay for these tests,” he said.