Ghaziabad, GB Nagar district admins step in to solve migrant workers' plight
GHAZIABAD/G B NAGAR: A day after Millennium Post reported hardships faced by migrant workers who are walking hundreds or a thousand kilometers at expressways and highways in order to reach their home during the lock-down, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar district admin-istrations have started helping out these poor people to some-how reach their homes when they are left with no jobs or anyother medium of survival in the smart cities.
The administration has started ferrying passengers to their homes through buses and trucks. Officials said that thousands such migrant workers and other passengers have been sent to their homes in road-ways buses from Morna bus stop, Pari Chowk, Kaushambi bus stand, UP border, Lal Kuan and other locations. Though senior officials managing the facility ensured that the buses which are being used to ferry passengers are properly sani-tised before plying them on the routes, however, social distanc- ing or medical screening of pas-engers before boarding the bus was not observed anywhere.
A senior officer of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) posted in Ghaziabad told Millennium Post that the bus service was started late on Thursday night and till Friday afternoon over three thousand passengers have been sent from Ghaziabad to their home.
"Following the instructions received from district adminis- tration, the UPSRTC bus service was started from Kaushambi and Ghaziabad bus stand. The buses were completely sanitised and sanitisers have been put on each bus. Over fifty buses, with a capacity of around 55-60 passengers each, are being oper-
ated from Ghaziabad which are ferrying passengers to Aligarh, Etah, Gorakhpur, Kanpur and other places. The tickets charges are the same as per being fixed by UPSRTC" said B P Agarwal, Assistant Regional Manager, UPSRTC-Ghaziabad.
"However, the bus service was stopped on Friday after noon after the administration received complaints of bus being caught at the borders of other districts and instructions were passed to the roadways department to stop bus service. We will resume the service once we receive further orders" the ARM added. Meanwhile, police were also allowing passage to buses and people travelling on highway and expressway before the government ordered to halt all those walking on roads till they arrange transport and other facilities for them. Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP, Ghaziabad said that people are not ready to stay at the shelter home made by police and the only thing they want is to go home. "Keeping in view the problems faced by thousands of people who are walking on streets, some buses were started in an emergency situation to drive people their homes" the SSP added.
Similarly in Gautam Buddh Nagar, police have created a WhatsApp helpline number to identify such people and help them. "There is huge traffic on the dial 112 helpline which is why a WhatsApp number —7570000100 has been made available. Those who want to inform about anyone who is stranded can send their name and location from where they are coming and the place to go.
Police will provide an immediate response to the information" said Rajesh Kumar Singh, DCP (Zone 3), Gautam Buddh Nagar.
