Goa: Anxious migrants dial for help, but hit a dead end

Lisa Monteiro | TNN | Updated: May 6, 2020, 07:11 IST

On Monday, in the absence of clear messaging or standard operating procedure (SoP), migrants were made to run from one government office to the other as they sought information on returning home.

On Monday, in the absence of clear messaging or standard operating procedure (SoP), migrants were made to run ...Read More

PANAJI: Every day, for the past three days, a Belagavi man has been trying to reach the helpline set up by the state government. But all that he gets to hear is: “The dialled number does not exist. Please check the number you have dialled.”
The Belgavi man is not alone. From Noida to Pune, anyone who has tried to reach the state’s helpline—0832-2419550—has got the same message.
TOI also tried the state’s helpline number and was able to connect only through a BSNL landline.
Of the 3.5 lakh migrant workers in Goa, nearly 80,000 migrants have registered themselves with the authorities seeking permission to return home but are clueless about the procedure. As increasingly anxious and stranded people tried in vain again and again, there was no response from the government on the monumental goof-up.
The nodal officer in charge of interstate travel, Kunal, who was unreachable himself for most part of the day, didn’t respond to TOI despite repeated calls and messages.
On Monday, in the absence of clear messaging or standard operating procedure (SoP), migrants were made to run from one government office to the other as they sought information on returning home.
“I have been trying to return to Karnataka for 15 days now, but nobody has been able to advise me correctly on the procedure,” the Belagavi man said.
“My form has been rejected. I haven’t been able to get through to the helpline. When I called the district helpline for help and guidance, I was directed to this same helpline for interstate travel, but I could never get through to it,” he said.
After chief minister Pramod Sawant, police, and other state brass tweeted the helpline number on May 2, many were desperate and quick to take to social media to say they couldn’t connect to it.
One Pune resident stuck in Goa stated that she filed the online application form and added that the helpline number is not working. “Plz help, I’m in distress,” she tweeted.
The failure of the number also affected Goans stuck in other states. One Goan brought it to the notice of Goa police that he applied again through the new web portal for Goans stranded elsewhere. “The helpline number is not working and there’s no reply on WhatsApp,” he said.
Another said, “I registered online twice, but the registration number seems invalid. I called the helpline number and it doesn’t get through. I am stranded in Noida due to the lockdown and wish to return to Panjim to my mother. Please help @goacm @DGP_ Goa”.