'Plans should have been made to send migrants back home before lockdown'

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre for making insensitive plans to transport hundreds of migrant workers to their home states before the lockdown, putting their lives at risk.

She also issued a rejoinder to Union Home minister Amit Shah and said: "I have never said Corona Express. I said it is the public which is saying so! Go through my statement of that day and you will find me quoting what the public had said about the trains. They termed the Shramik Special trains as 'Corona Express'."

Shah had attributed the 'Corona Express' remark to the Chief Minister while addressing a virtual rally on Tuesday.

"BJP is trying to show their concern for the people. But I would like to ask what sympathetic work have they done for the workers? The Centre has deprived them of private companies including those working in the jute and tea industry as they had assured that payments will be made even if they failed to attend work. But later they changed the norms that went against the favour of the workers and daily-wage earners," Banerjee said adding that "today very less number of people stand by them. Instead, an insensitive plan with ulterior motive has been made."

She made a scathing attack at the Centre for imposing the lockdown in an unplanned manner that forced lakhs of migrant workers to spend the past three months facing nightmarish conditions. They would not have faced it if Shramik Special trains were engaged to send them back home before announcing the nationwide lockdown, she maintained.

Announcing that the Bengal government is engaging more number of trains to bring back its people, Banerjee said: "Knowing well that it will lead to an abnormal increase in people suffering from COVID-19, the Railways is sending 2,000 to 2,500 migrant labourers in an inhumane condition packed in a train the capacity of which is a maximum of 1,200. They were even made to travel for around 40 hours in such a suffocating atmosphere."

The state government has announced the engagement of 22 more trains in which another 30,000 people will reach Bengal. On Wednesday, 255 trains were engaged. Already, 11 lakh people have returned to the state so far.

There is an atmosphere of terror in the country, she said. Migrant labourers in some states were beaten up by the police. But those from the other states, who are stuck in Bengal, are not willing to return as they were provided with proper treatment, food and shelter. "We had made arrangements to send them back in trains in which our people have come from different parts of the country but they were unwilling to go back," Banerjee said.

"It is a critical time and it is not because of the political situation. It is because we are facing Amphan devastation and the pandemic crisis simultaneously. Despite such tough situations, full salaries of state government employees have been given," she added.