Fearing another lockdown in the wake of a sudden spike in coronavirus infections in Mumbai, several migrant workers and their families were seen leaving the city and heading towards their native places.
In a bid to avert any panic like a situation similar to that of last year, the government, including local administration and railways, are working on an elaborate plan to prevent the exodus of labourers from major cities, including Mumbai.
Top sources in the government said the local administration in industrial pockets of Mumbai and other metros have been asked to approach factory management, labour unions and concerned groups to convince the migrant workers not to get scared of the sudden resurgence.
In Delhi also, many migrant workers were seen leaving for their home states from the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal. They said they were going back to their native places amid fear of another lockdown. This time, they are prepared to handle the situation in advance so that they are not stuck in the city with no money and food.
Each day, hundreds of migrants are returning to Ranchi and other parts of the state from Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi and Telangana and dispersing to their homes.
In Odisha, there were fears in Ganjam district of a rerun of last year’s Covid situation as migrants from hotspot states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Kerala started returning to their native places. Trains coming from Mumbai and Surat were seen to be full.
Most of the labourers in Karnataka returned to their home states to vote and are now reluctant to return fearing possible restrictions. Govind Kumar, from Jharkhand’s Giridih district, has been working at a Mumbai coffee shop for almost five years.
