Uttar Pradesh

Mohd Afzal

Bareilly district

In photos: As the 21-day lockdown continues, migrant workers go home on foot; stopped at borders 1 11 Taking the long road home With a few days into the 21-day-long lockdown in India, scores of migrant workers have begun to take the long road home by foot. The daily wage earners have been finding it difficult to return to their hometowns due to the lack of transport services. The migrants citied that landlords were throwing them out as well as lack of food. Photo: Reuters A long way from home The highways are empty with the lockdown in place but there is nowhere to go. Migrants, who have been scrambling to board a truck or a tempos carrying essential supplies across districts and states, are desperate. Many have walked hours and miles sometimes with children with them in the hope of getting closer to home. The government has said the borders will be closed to avoid spread of the contagious coronavirus. The Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that three out of 10 who were travelling from cities to rural areas possibly are carrying the virus. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar/ BCCL Nowhere to go Migrants have literally been caught between the devil and the deep sea. Borders are closed even between districts. Governments have appealed to them to stay put wherever they are. Though the government has set up shelters for them, many are still longing to return to the relative safety of their own homes. Photo by Nilesh Wairkkar/ BCCL The influx continues Thousands of migrant workers continue to move across states towards their native towns amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Around 90,000 individuals were transported in buses from Ghaziabad on Sunday. Photo by Raju Shinde/BCCL Borders shut Government authorities ordered districts and states to close their borders to stop the exodus, and organise temporary shelters for the migrant workers. Maharashtra has set up 262 relief camps, providing shelter to 70,3999 people. Photo by Raju Shinde/BCCL Assistance assured Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had earlier appealed to migrant labourers to not leave the state, and assured them of assistance. Earlier on Sunday, 2442 labourers hailing from Karnataka were brought back in 62 buses by the State government from Maharashtra. Photo by Raju Shinde/BCCL 'Where would we get the food from?' "We are obeying the government orders but where would we get food from? If the government will provide food, when does it plan in doing so? Till when can we stay alone inside a room," one of the migrants told ANI. He further added that by going home, at least there would be a guarantee of getting food. Photo: BCCL 'No facility provided' As factories and businesses shut shop, workers have been laid off in hundreds. To ensure stability in these migrants' lives, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore for the underprivileged, poor and migrant workers. But there is still a long way to go. "There is no facility or money being provided. We have been waiting for over four days now. I have kids who are unwell. I am unable to go home as there is no transport," a factory worker said. Photo: PTI A difficult path Since Wednesday, hundreds of migrants were seen at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border en route to their native places. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, Today, hundreds of our brothers and sisters, along with their hungry and thirsty families have to move towards their villages. On this difficult path of theirs, those of you who are capable enough, provide them with food, shelter and water. The appeal to help the needy is particularly from Congress workers and leaders." Photo: ANI Relief camps under SDRF fund allocations On Saturday, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed all states and union territories to provide essentials such as accommodation, food, clothing and medical care to homeless people as well as migrant labourers. Shelter would be given in relief camps under SDRF fund allocations. Photo: Reuters New order in place Joint Secretary to GoI Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said, "I am directed to refer this Ministry's letter, dated March 14, 2020 on the above mentioned subject and to say that the existing norms issued vide this Ministry letter dated April 8, under item no 3(a) 'Relief Measures - Provision for temporary accommodation, food, clothing, medical care etc.' would be applicable to homeless people, including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown measured, and sheltered in the relief camps and other places for providing them food etc., for the containment of spread of COVID-19 virus in the country." Photo: ANI

In a shocking incident, migrants who were returning to their homes inwere sprayed with 'chemical on Sunday by a team on sanitising duty at the Bareilly bus stand.According to reports, the migrants who had walked down from Noida and Delhi, were told to sit at the bus stand by officials who said that they would be taken on buses and would be given food.Mohd Afzal, one in the group, said, "About 50 of us were seating and waiting for food and the bus at the satellite bus adda when some men in protective suits came and began spraying water on us. They said that they were form the sanitization team and were sanitizing us. The children began crying and women were also shocked."Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry has said that the DM has already clarified that the spraying undertaken was done by over-zealous officials. There is currently no SOP in place regarding how the disinfectant is sprayed, he added.According to sources, the sanitizing team sprayed the group with a diluted mixture of sodium hypochlorite.Sodium Hypochlorite is the main ingredient in laundry bleach. It is used extensively as a bleaching agent in the textile, detergents, and paper and pulp industries. It is also used as a disinfectant.said that after they were sprayed with water, the children complained of itching in their eyes while some women developed rashes."The chemical had a strange smell and after this incident, most of us left Bareilly and decided to continue our journey on foot," he said. Mohd Afzal works as a courier boy in a company in Noida and has returned to his home in Shahjahanpur.None of the officials in Bareilly and Lucknow, however, were ready to comment on the incident.Calls made to themagistrate's office did not elicit any response.A junior official, however, said that since a Corona positive patient had been reported in the district on Sunday, a massive sanitization drive was undertaken.Officials in Lucknow also did not respond to queries on the incident.