Navi Mumbai police apprehend migrants trying to leave in the night, transfer them to relief camps
More than 21 days since the beginning of the Coronavirus lockdown, the exodus of migrant labourers continues. With cops on the watch all day, migrants are trying to leave during nighttime. Navi Mumbai police detained 92 such people who set out on foot for their homes in the past few days.
In the first case, on April 12, 78 people were stopped by cops on patrol. "The labourers were from Yadgir, Karnataka. They started walking from Belapur village. Police on patrol at Sion-Panvel Highway stopped them and took them to Kalbhairav Mangal Karyalaya in Kalamboli, where they will be provided food and shelter," said an officer.
In another incident, Uran police stopped 14 people. "On April 14, the workers were spotted on the Panvel-Mumbra Highway. They are from Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh and wanted to go back to their villages. They have also been sheltered at Kalbhairav Mangal Karyalaya."
The migrants were taken to a relief camp in Kalamboli
"In the past 21 days, 594 people were stopped from leaving the city and sent to relief camps. We are urging all labourers to not venture out and providing them with food and facilities. Still they are trying to escape," said a senior police officer.
Of the 594, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has put up 273 people in relief camps where they are served breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whereas, the Panvel Municipal Corporation has put up 321 migrants in shelters.
On April 15, the cops had apprehended 103 migrants near Ghansoli and Rabale railway station on the Thane Belapur Road near APMC fruit market who were walking towards Uttar Pradesh. All were sent to shelter homes at Ghansoli, Airoli and Belapur.
594
No. of people shifted to shelter homes
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