Man who brought Nanded pilgrims meets mother after over two weeks

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12

Out of his home since April 22, it was after over a fortnight that Sukhdev Singh (36), a bus driver, returned to his home.

“Gharwaleyan ne kapre saarte. Motorcycle dhuvata. Mata de pairi hath vi nahi laya. Mata bas vekh vekh khush hoi jandi ki munda ghar aa gaya (family burnt my clothes, got washed the motorcycle. I haven’t touched my mother’s feet since my return. She is too happy to see me as his son has returned home), says Sukhdev, who was discharged from the quarantine centre in Meritorious School, here, after 14 days. He had gone to bring back pilgrims from Nanded.

Authorities are giving PPE kits to cops and doctors but none for us who drove thousands of kilometres to bring back the pilgrims? At the hospital too, we washed our utensils and bathrooms on our own. Seven of us were discharged on Sunday. Others are still there. — Sukhdev Singh, bus driver

A resident of Kot Majlas village in Gurdaspur, he returned home at 11 pm on Sunday night on a motorcycle straight from the meritorious school quarantine centre. A conductor also accompanied him on the bike.

“Having started on April 22, 36 members of our depot had been told to bring back Nanded pilgrims. We thought on return, we will be kept under home quarantine for 14 days. But they sent to the isolation centre. We had first reached SBS Nagar on April 28, from where we were sent to Jalandhar. We all drivers had been staying on the third floor,” Sukhdev said. For the first three days, it seemed staff didn’t know what to do with us. But later, things got better, at least food. Sukhdev is not happy with the department.

“They are giving PPE kits to police personnel and doctors but none for us who drove thousands of kilometres to bring back the pilgrims? At the hospital too, we washed our utensils and bathrooms on our own. Seven of us were discharged on Sunday. Others are still there,” he said.

My family was worried. My mother was overjoyed the moment she saw me. She had been getting nervous watching news on TV and calling people around. Now, she is relieved.

Even at home, Sukhdev is following a strict protocol. “We are happy but we are not touching or embracing each other for the coming 14 days as instructed by doctors.”

After Sukhdev returned, his 55-year-old mother burnt some of his clothes, washed some and sanitised all his belongings as well as him. The family slept at 1 am.

His wife and child are in Delhi where they had gone before the lockdown.