MUMBAI: Terming the death of migrants in a train accident as "painful", Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday urged labourers to have patience and not undertake risky journeys to their home states.
"The incident is painful. It is disturbing to see how desperate migrant workers in Maharashtra are to return to their home states," Pawar said in a statement. Pawar, who is also the state's Finance Minister, said the Maharashtra government was working on war footing to send migrant workers to their native states and this was being done with cooperation from the Centre and other state governments. "Workers should wait till their turn comes and arrangements are made (to ensure their return). They should not risk their lives travelling in an unsafe manner," he said.
Everyone will be able to return home in phases and there was no need to hurry, Pawar said. The state government had arranged for food, water, accommodation and medical facilities of 6.5 lakh migrant workers, he said.
