The Telangana police are gearing up to send migrant workers, and those stranded during the lockdown in the State.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued guidelines allowing inter-State movement of stranded tourists, pilgrims, students, migrant workers and others. It asked all the States and Union territories to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending the stranded people, screening them.
Sources in the police department told The Hindu that they were prepared for such a move by the Centre and have already instructed their officers about the coming situation. “We have made all arrangements for smooth passage of migrant workers,” an officer said on condition of anonymity. The officer said that they held a few coordination meetings with seven more departments, including health, municipality and transport and TSRTC.
“All background work is done. We have already asked all Superintendents of Police and Commissioners of Police to brief their force on how to handle the situation without any chaos for the safe and hassle-free journey,” he said, adding that they are formalising the modality.
The officers have to make sure the people who were ‘safe’ in Telangana in the lockdown should not contract the deadly coronavirus during their ‘most awaited’ journey back home.
A senior IAS officer is likely to be appointed nodal officer to oversee the entire operation of getting and sending the migrant workers.
The stranded people will be given masks, hand sanitisers, gloves, food and other essentials items required during their journey.
“We already have contact details of the migrant workers and most of the people who are stuck here. After getting a nod from the State government, they will be shifted in batches,” the top police brass said, adding that they are waiting for the State government’s call on MHA’s new guidelines.
The officer said that a majority of migrant workers are stranded in GHMC limits, erstwhile Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts.
Meanwhile, officials are worried that Telangana migrants working in other States could be potential carriers of the virus, which may result in the spike of cases, despite following the Centre’s guidelines on sending them to home quarantine.
“This way, community spread may start in the State, and tracing the source would be an impossible task,” fear the official.