Through the journey, they survived on beaten rice and jaggery, steered clear of highways and major roads for fear of being stopped by the police, and cycled with frequent breaks to conserve energy. (Representational)

Out of work and money, a group of migrant workers stuck in Chandigarh cycled all the way to their home state of Bihar, covering more than 1,000 km through forests, dirt roads and rivers in around 17 days.

The 150-odd people—masons, electricians, plumbers and painters—split themselves into smaller groups and set off in the intervening night of April 14-15.

Through the journey, they survived on beaten rice and jaggery, steered clear of highways and major roads for fear of being stopped by the police, and cycled with frequent breaks to conserve energy.

“Our idea was to avoid police and also preserve our energy. It was cycling and cycling for hours with several breaks. We would hardly get tea anywhere. We would take to the highways only in the evenings and stop our journey by 10 pm. We would resume it by 4 am the next day,” said Sujan Kumar (22) from Ghodasahan, East Champaran, who was among a smaller group of 12 people.

Also among this group was Awadhesh Prasad Rai, 30, a painter earning Rs 500 per day in Chandigarh.

“We avoided the main roads, took village roads and reached the Punjab-Haryana border near Yamunanagar in one day,” said Rai.

Then, they ran into their first challenge. “We had to cross the Yamuna river and get to Saharanpur in UP. There were policemen near a bridge and we could not have taken it,” he said.

They finally crossed the river on makeshift rafts and tyres provided by local residents—after shelling out Rs 200 per person.

After some cycling through forests, they reached Muzaffarnagar, before being held near Bareilly, where they were screened by local doctors. After Sitapur, however, it was smooth sailing.

“We took the main roads and whenever we would be stopped by policemen, we would tell them that we were from nearby villages,” said Rai.

On Saturday, Rai, Kumar and their companions finally reached the Gopalganj border in Bihar. They were given a bus to be taken to their villages in East Champaran, where they would be quarantined for 21 days.

The migrants said only a few of them were able to avail the Rs 1,000 cash assistance announced by the the state government. “We failed to register and gave up after two or three attempts,” said Luvkush Kumar (18) from Ghodasahan.

Rai had gone to Chandigarh only this March. “But now I think I will till my three bighas of land and settle in Bihar itself. Life is uncertain in other states now.”