Coronavirus: Allow us to walk to our native places, plead migrants in Punjab

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 27

Just allow us to walk down to our native places in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar and UP, plead those stranded at construction sites, madrasas, dharamsalas and slums in local towns and surrounding localities.

However, the administration is all out to support their subsistence by providing them regular supply of essential commodities with the help of social organisations.

Ahmedgarh SDM Vikramjit Singh Panthey and DSP Karanveer Singh claimed to have roped in communal organisations, which are supplying free ration and cooked food to the needy.

Having received information about their problems, authorities in intelligence agencies have drawn attention of the government towards the problems of these groups, who are not provided organised help, and might increase risk of spreading coronavirus by moving in an unsafe manner.

Investigations revealed that at least 100 people, which include women and children, were feeling stranded due to the lockdown imposed owing to COVID-19 crisis.

Besides supply of essential commodities, worry about other members and their scattered families was common concern for all these groups.

A labourer, who was at an under-construction police station building, Ajay Giri, said at least 40 people, including women and children, were on the verge of starvation, due to the lockdown and none of them were ready to stay here as there was no certainty about restoration of work in the near future.

“If government can not arrange transport for sending us to our families at our native place, we should be allowed to walk down so that all members of our families can face the crisis together,” said Ajay Giri regretting his wife was stranded in Nepal.

He worries about his parents in Bihar too.

Another group of Kashimiri labourers, led by Abdul Halik, who was stranded at Bhagat Ravidass dharamsala at Chhanna village, also wanted to return to their native state as there was no source of income now.

“How long can we survive on food and ration donated by social organisations of the area.” argued Halik demanding the government should arrange a way to send them back to Jammu and kashmir.

Condition of slum dwellers from Gujarat, led by Nikku and Sonu, was even worse as they could be asked to decamp from their present location at Jandali Bridge, and they have no source of communication with their families in their state.

They do not have their mobile phones.

Kari Furkaan of Madrasa Umar Farooq informed that at least 27 students from other states were feeling helpless by being isolated from their parents.