Over 15,000 migrants have returned to Maharashtra: Anil Deshmukh

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said that over 15,000 migrants have been returning after the unlocking process has started in the state. The industries have started operations in parts of the state including Mumbai and Pune, he informed. 

Owing to the closing industries due to the lockdown, the migrant workers who came from states like Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar among others went back to their respective homes. 

India imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 23 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic due to which lakhs of migrant workers were stranded in cities without work and money. 

After nearly two months of the lockdown, the Union Government had to arrange special ‘Shramik’ trains to ferry the migrant workers to their respective states. This happened after many migrants started walking on foot trying to cover thousands of kilometres to reach their native place. 

Deshmukh informed that since the unlocking process has begun over 15,500 migrants have been returning to Maharashtra every day. As per the records maintained by the administration, nearly 11,500 migrants are moving back to Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) while the rest are going to other districts. 

The parts of Maharashtra including Gondia, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Gondia have been receiving four to five thousands migrants on a daily basis, Deshmukh said while adding that the number of trains coming to Maharashtra will increase as industries are opening up. 

The state Home Minister further said that appropriate precaution will be taken regarding migrants coming back to Maharashtra. They are undergoing thermal screening as they arrive in the state and they are being sent to home quarantine for 14 days, Deshmukh added. 

According to the government’s data, nearly 18 lakh migrants left Maharashtra during the lockdown and almost one and a half lakh have returned. Moreover, the state government expects around 13 lakh migrant workers and labourers to return. 

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