Khalsa Aid comes to rescue of stranded passengers

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 23

In the absence of any public transport system, a large number of migrants and passengers are still stranded in the city. As streets have worn a deserted look, the helpless passengers are forced to spend their nights on pavements near the railway station. Those who are trying to reach their destinations rued that available private cabs were charging hefty amounts.

Taxis are reportedly charging double and triple the usual fare. Owing to the miserable situation of the poor, district Khalsa Aid workers came to help them reach their homes safely.

Zameer Ahmad Khan (25), a native of Kupwara district in Kashmir who had reached here with his pregnant wife Muskan (20), said all his money was taken by a private bus driver, who assured them of dropping them to Jammu.

Unaware about the Janata Curfew, Zameer said: “We were returning to Kupwara from West Bengal, where my wife’s parents reside. However, after reaching Delhi on Saturday, we got to know that the movement of trains had been halted. Thereafter, after sitting for almost a day at the old Delhi railway station, we managed to take a private bus to Jammu, for which we paid Rs 3,000 but to our surprise, the driver dropped us midway, in Ludhiana, citing that the bus could not go ahead due to the curfew and without refunding our money, they made us get off the bus. Subsequently, a local travel agent provided us a taxi that again left us in Jalandhar after taking Rs 800. Now, we have no money left with us and have nowhere to go.”

Another taxi driver at the bus stand also asked them to pay Rs 18,000 for ferrying them to Jammu.

Taking account of his helplessness, a bike taxi driver, Kanta Chauhan, arranged an accommodation for them and conducted their Covid-19 test at the local Civil Hospital. After testing negative for the virus, some do-gooders contacted Khalsa Aid workers who later send them off to Jammu on their own expenses. Another daily wage labourer, who was stuck here with his wife and a four-month-old son, was also provided with free cab service to Ludhiana.

Other homeless migrants who were stranded in the city also demanded the administration to make arrangements for their travel, due to overcharging by the taxi drivers.

Meanwhile, administration officials could not be contacted even after several attempts.

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