Coronavirus lockdown: Stranded pilgrims in Prayagraj rue nixed plans, miss home

Rajeev Mani | TNN | Updated: Apr 15, 2020, 22:50 IST

More than 50 pilgrims from south Indian cities are currently stranded in Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: When Bengaluru resident Puneet set out for Prayagraj via train on March 16 with his family of 12, he was content at heart. After all, he was able to fulfil his 70-year-old grandmother's long-cherished dream of touring the three popular religious destinations - 'Kashi, Gaya and Prayag'.
However, it was just eight days later that their plans were marred after the announcement of the lockdown on March 24 amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Puneet and his family, who returned to Prayagraj on March 22 after touring Varanasi and Gaya, have been stuck in the city ever since. They were able to find accommodation in a math in Daraganj with the help of the district administration and local residents. The 24-year-old executive said that he had booked tickets for April 15 - when the first phase of the lockdown was supposed to end - but the second phase was announced a day before they were supposed to return.
"We had earlier planned to board a flight from Bamrauli to Bengaluru. We then booked tickets for Wednesday, but we had to reschedule even those plans," he added.
"Apart from my family, there were 17 others who had come along with us on this trip. We had collectively spent over Rs 1.4 lakh on air tickets, but we never got a chance as air travel was suspended. We have rescheduled our flight, but are stuck here until then. We cannot even opt for any other form of transport, as we will end up losing money."
However, he is not alone. More than 50 pilgrims from south Indian cities like Hyderabad, Mysore and Bengaluru are currently stranded in the city and are forced to stay in two maths in Daraganj as all train and air travel services have been suspended in the wake of the lockdown. "When the trains stopped, we booked flight tickets for April 15 in the hopes of returning home once the impasse ends, but now it has been extended to May 3. There is nothing left for us to do, but wait," said one of Puneet's friends who had come along with him while requesting anonymity.
Among the stranded pilgrims, many are elderly citizens. The district administration has provided them with the required medicines and the senior citizens have had doctors tend to them in case of a problem. At the same time, pilgrims also complained of the lack of facilities at the maths where they were made to stay."The math's water pump is not working since the last two days because of which we have to bathe in Ganga. We do not even have access to potable water. We have to purchase packaged water from outside," said another member of the group.
Jai Amma, one of the elderly women in the group, said that she is thankful to God that she got a chance to spend some days on the banks of a holy river like Ganga. "However, I miss my family and talking to my neighbours. I sometimes, even miss the traditional South Indian food I eat every day back home," she added.
On being asked if the group wasn't aware about the travel restrictions which were imposed worldwide in wake of the pandemic, Puneet said that he didn't know about the restrictions imposed in the state. "Even our travel agent didn't warn us about the restrictions," he added.