Covid-19 lockdown: Kashmiri families stranded at Barnala return home

Neel Kamal | TNN | May 3, 2020, 15:47 IST

The Barnala district administration arranged two buses for them to return to the valley.

BARNALA: Fifty nine people from Kashmir valley including women and children who were stuck at Barnala for the last 40 days, returned to their home state on Sunday. The Barnala district administration arranged two buses for them to return to the valley.
The families, mainly into blanket selling, were living in rented rooms at Patti Road, Dhanaula Road and Purana Bazar areas of Barnala and were stranded when the curfew was imposed in view of Covid-19 on March 23.
Barnala deputy commissioner Tej Partap Singh Phoolka said, "The district administration had taken up the matter with J&K authorities who permitted us to send them to J&K border from where they will be sent further to their native places by J&K administration. Now the families could be spending rest of the holy Ramzan month at their homes." He said medical screening was done and masks, sanitizers were provided to all. The necessary equipment has also been provided to the drivers and conductors of buses, he said.
Javed Khan, the leader of the group said, "We were stranded here due to curfew. Now the month of Ramzan has started and we are so happy that we are able to go back to our homes."