At Delhi Border, Uttar Pradesh Buses Take Hungry And Jobless Migrants Back Home Amid Corona Lockdown

India works from home and Bharat walks to home - Twitter aptly summarised the biggest crisis during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown - the reverse migration. While more and more companies switch to work from home model in the organised sector, it is the informal sector that has been worst hit in the shutdown across India. From Andhra Pradesh to Gujarat to Maharashtra to Delhi, every city is witnessing the urban poor walking on foot in a desperate attempt to reach home in their native villages. (Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates)

The migrant workers and labourers form the backbone of the unorganised sector in India. With no clear policy or official framework to support them, these migrants have been forced to take the arduous route. On Saturday, News Nation saw hundreds of these migrants being sent to their villages by special buses, which have been pressed into service by the Uttar Pradesh government.

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According to the latest reports, as many as 1000 buses will be run to transport the jobless migrants to their villages in Uttar Pradesh. Around 200 buses will be run every two hours from various places from border areas of Delhi. On Saturday, around 1,000 migrants gathered near Ghazipur border.  Buses will be run throughout the day to ferry the people to villages in Aligarh, Muradabad, Etawah and other cities of Uttar Pradesh.

On Day 4 of the national lockdown, the state governments are grappling to contain the trend of reverse migration. On Friday, the Union Home Ministry had ordered all state governments to provide shelter and food to the migrants to dissuade them from travelling back home. The officials feel that with poor healthcare facilities in rural India, the reverse migration may adversely impact the battle against coronavirus.

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Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia reached Ghazipur border to oversee the arrangements made for the migrants. "We have arranged for food. We also have night shelters. But this is an emotional decision taken by these people to travel back home. We can't put pressure on them." In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot government has also decided to run special buses to ferry migrants to the border areas. Interstate road travel has been prohibited during the 21-day lockdown.