Lockdown fear Migrants leaving Gujarat amid COVID-19 surge

    Ahmedabad, Apr 8 (PTI) Fearing another lockdown in the
wake of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in Gujarat, migrant
workers and their families have started leaving Surat and
Ahmedabad, two of the state's most severely affected cities.
    However, government officials on Thursday claimed the
number of those leaving was very low and people cannot be
stopped from moving from one place to another.
    "There are no formal reports which suggest that a
large number of migrants are leaving. However, we have asked
district authorities to ensure that workers do not face any
trouble," state Additional Chief Secretary, Labour and
Employment, Vipul Mittra told PTI.
    Since there is no lockdown and trains are also
running, people are free to move anywhere in the country, he
said.
    Mittra said though some people are going back to their
native places, "it's not happening on large scale".
    "Last year, there was a rush because the lockdown was
imposed all of a sudden. Thus, as a precaution, migrants are
going back home as they feel that transportation may not be
available after some time," the official said.
    In Ahmedabad, a number of migrant workers, mostly
hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have been rushing to the
city's main Kalupur railway station to travel to their native
places, said Yogesh Mishra, member of the Zonal Rail Users
Consultative Committee.
    The migrants fear they would be stuck here if the
government imposes another lockdown, Mishra said, adding that
the waiting list for reserved seats in trains is also
increasing with each passing day.
    "The Gujarat High Court recently suggested that a
lockdown should be imposed. This has created panic among the
migrant workers, who suffered a lot last year due to the
sudden lockdown and travel restrictions," he said.
    Now, migrants are in a hurry to reach their native
places, said Mishra.
    "People from UP are leaving in large numbers, mainly
because they don't want to miss the panchayat polls, starting
from April 15. Many have also planned marriage ceremonies,
which were cancelled last year," he said.
    People are extra cautious this time and want to leave
before any travel restrictions are announced, he added.
    In Surat, migrant workers belonging to UP, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand have been leaving in luxury
buses, but their number is not very large, Surat Luxury Bus
Operators Association president Dinesh Andhan said.
    "People from Saurashtra are not leaving. It's the
migrants from other states who are leaving Surat city due to
panic. They suffered a lot last year due to the lockdown and
unavailability of transport. Many were forced to walk to their
native places last year," Andhan said. PTI PJT PD
GK GK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)