Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday that the whole purpose of the lockdown was being defeated if migrant labourers, thousands of which are finding themselves stranded on the streets as flee major metros on foot, were being provided with special buses to get back to their homes. The critical observation by the Janata Dal (United) chief and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally came as the Uttar Pradesh government announced 200 special buses from the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for the migrant workers. The coronavirus would only spread if these people are ferried together in buses, Kumar said.
If any of those travelling back to their homes is found to be infected, it could create a massive problem for the rest of them, he said, adding that many among those availing the special bus services could be from Bihar as well.
It is better to organise camps locally, instead of trying to send people back home. The state government will reimburse the costs of these camps organised by anyone, the 69-year-old leader said.
The Bihar government has approved a sum of Rs 100 crore towards the shelter and food of the state's migrants who have found themselves stuck in other states.
Since the lockdown came into effect, hundreds of migrant workers, many of them daily wage earners, have been seen walking towards the Delhi border in their desperate bid to reach their homes. While the Union Home Minister had called upon the state administrations to keep the migrant workers from fleeing for their homes to keep the coronavirus infections in check, thousands of them have been spotted on the streets making the long walk back home, regardless of warnings by health experts and authorities.
As of Saturday, a total of 873 positive cases were reported across the country, since the first case surfaced on Jan 30. Nineteen persons have succumbed to the virus so far.
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