New Delhi: Even as thousands of migrant workers and labourers continue to head home due to the 21-day lockdown announced by the Centre to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (March 28, 2020) appealed to the general public and his party workers to help them as much as they can.
The Congress Wayanad MP made a general appeal to all urging them to provide food and shelter to the home-bound migrants moving on foot passing through their towns, cities and villages.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “Today, hundreds of our brothers and sisters, along with their hungry and thirsty families have to move towards their villages. On this difficult path of theirs, those of you who are capable enough, provide them with food, shelter and water.” “The appeal to help the needy is particularly for Congress workers and leaders,” he said.
His appeal came hours after scores of migrant workers were spotted at Delhi-Ghaziabad border who were on their way home on foot crossing miles after miles. Many of them are apprehensive of the situation after the sudden announcement of the 21-day lockdown while others are sent on leave by their contractors.
Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law and businessman Robert Vadra also wrote on Facebook, “I feel terrible for the poor people, who have no food or place to stay and with the sudden coronavirus lockdown had no healthy shelter and forced to travel back to their villages.”
The post further read, “There are elderly, women, and little children who are walking back for kilometres, as there are no vehicles to transport them, and pay their savings to put the elderly in rickshaws or in these unsafe concoction of a vehicle called a `Jugaad`, and travel for days.”
“I request the central government, and state governments to help these people, and I am finding ways as well if authorities can help these people at adjoining borders assist them to get home, in the safest and healthiest ways,” Vadra wrote in his Facebook post.
All modes of transport are shut, including passenger trains and interstate buses, in a bid to curb further spread of deadly COVID-19. After the announcement of lockdown, a large number of people had crammed onto trains and buses before the whole country came to a halt for three weeks, but many others were still left stranded.
Chief Ministers of three states – Bengal, Bihar and Odisha – which send the maximum number of labourers across the country, have been taking initiative to ensure the safety of these people.
Government has urged people to stay indoors and aggressively practice social distancing. However, the scene of desperate migrant workers fleeing the national capital and other metro cities have had no parallel.
Bureau Report
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