In 7 hours, 1,800 calls flood migrant helplines

Shalabh | TNN | Updated: Apr 15, 2020, 10:48 IST

Close to 4,800 migrant workers have been stranded in shelter camps in the national capital from the time the lockdown was enforced.

Close to 4,800 migrant workers have been stranded in shelter camps in the national capital from the time the l...Read More

GREATER NOIDA: The helpline numbers launched in Greater Noida for migrant workers from UP stranded in other places witnessed a three-fold increase in phone calls on Tuesday.
As against some 600 calls a day, the six lines received over 1,800 enquiries from the time the phase II lockdown was announced by PM Narendra Modi till 5pm.
The callers were mostly from Delhi, all eager to find a way to reach home. Close to 4,800 migrant workers have been stranded in shelter camps in the national capital from the time the lockdown was enforced.
While the six-line call centre has been receiving 500 calls from Delhi-based migrants and 120 calls from Jammu and Kashmir-based migrants on a daily basis, on Tuesday more than 1,800 calls were received by 5pm, according to Rajiv Kumar Gupta, the officer-in-charge of the migrant helpline and general manager of Greater Noida Authority.
“We have been getting calls from workers stuck at the shelter homes. But majority of the workers are staying on rent in Delhi. We have been asking them to hope for the best and stay put till May 4. The volume of calls would remain on the higher side for the next 48 hours,” he added.
GNIDA’s CEO Narendra Bhooshan, who has been appointed the nodal officer for migrant workers stranded in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, said migrant workers have been following the lockdown announcements closely. “By 10.30am, it was clear that the lockdown would remain in force till May 3. We have been trying to convince them that the decision has been taken in the interest of everyone,” he said.