ANDHRA PRADESH

Go the whole hog to help migrants, CM tells officials

G.V.R. Subba Rao
VIJAYAWADA, MAY 17, 2020 23:53 IST
UPDATED: MAY 17, 2020 23:53 IST

‘This is the time to show sympathy; there should not be dearth of facilities for them’

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked officials to extend all help to the migrant
workers on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking to the officials over telephone on Sunday, the Chief Minister said, “There should not
be any dearth of facilities and food to the workers who are walking to their native places. This
is the time to show sympathy and help them generously. Don’t step back on expenditure
involved.”

Relief centres
He further asked officials to arrange buses for the workers walking on the highway and shift
them to the nearest relief centre.

Responding, the officials told Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy that 4,661 migrant workers were
stopped at various check-posts and shifted to 62 relief centres in the last three days. Of them,
485 were heading to various districts in the State. The remaining were walking their way to
States such as Odisha, Bihar. U.P., Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.

Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney spoke to her Odisha counterpart on the issue, following which
the neighbouring State agreed to receive the migrant workers from that State at Ganjam with
prior intimation.

Following the agreement, 902 Odisha workers – 470 from Prakasam, 410 from Krishna and 22
from Srikakulam districts were sent to that State on Saturday night. Another 450 workers
from Guntur district would be sent on Sunday.

Already, 31 Shramik Specials are being operated from A.P. to ferry 39,000 people to various
destinations. The break-up of the trains is as follows – 9 for Bihar; 5 for Odisha; 4 each for U.P.,
Jharkhand and Rajasthan; 3 for Maharashtra; and one each for Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh. Another 22 trains are being planned during this week to ferry 33,000 people. Officials
are pursuing the issue of obtaining NoCs from the receiving States.

Food counters
The officials said that all the police check-posts were provided with staff from the Revenue
Department to counsel the workers to visit the relief centres with a promise to send them by
the special trains.

The officials also said that 79 food counters were set up along the national highway passing by
the check-posts to provide the workers food and water.
The district Collectors were asked to put banners on the highway in Odiya and Hindi
explaining the arrangements made for the migrant workers walking their way back home.

Once they reach the relief centres, instructions have been issued to send those belonging to
A.P. to their native districts by APSRTC buses free of cost. Similarly, those from other States
will be sent by the special trains.

Printable version | Jul 8, 2020 1:28:48 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-

pradesh/go-the-whole-hog-to-help-migrants-cm-tells-officials/article31610401.ece

© THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.