Amid fears of another lockdown in Maharashtra, migrants workers have yet again decided to return to their hometowns.
It has been a year since we have all lived with the virus. Migrants and daily wage earners were the most affected and we saw scores of them return to their hometowns. However, to most of us it seemed that life was limping back to normalcy. People started going back to work. Lockdown restrictions were eased. We also saw a dip in COVID-19 cases.
As life seemed normal yet again, migrant workers returned to the state to earn a livelihood. But now, as the state has seen a massive surge and fearing another lockdown, migrant workers are leaving the state to return to their hometowns.
Earlier, taking cognisance of the massive rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday warned of a complete lockdown in the next two days if the situation in the state persists. Uddhav reiterated that he doesn't want to impose a lockdown, but the present situation demands stricter curbs as people are nonchalantly flouting the norms in place. The CM said that he would discuss it with a few experts across sections and announce his decision in the coming days.
Now, migrant workers were spotted at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) waiting to board a train to their hometown.
Here are some pictures.
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
BL Soni/ FPJ Photo
The government has directed the district and civic administration to create awareness about the present Covid-19 situation and the restrictions in the place before making any formal announcement of lockdown.
In order to avoid migrant/unorganised workers rushing to go back to their homes from major cities and Tier II and III cities fearing the fresh lockdown, the state government has asked the Commissioner for Unorganised Labour an IAS officer to open up dialogue with various organisations.
“We are interacting with various organisations to ensure there is no panic and a proper message is sent. This is not a lockdown, but a calibrated restriction on certain activities at certain times of the day. Nevertheless, it is necessary to reach out to that segment, which we will do," said a senior officer from the MVA government.
