Over 1,500 stranded in city sent to J’khand, Raj by buses

Varanasi: Over 1,500 people from Rajashthan and Jharkand, who worked or were stranded in Varanasi due to lockdown, were sent back by buses on Thursday.
Over 400 passes were issued to individuals willing to go back to their home states by their own vehicles.
“As many as 11 buses with 317 passengers on board left for Bharatpur, the nodal centre for receiving passengers in Rajasthan. Likewise, 47 buses left with 1,432 passengers for Gandhva district of Jharkhand,” said DM Kaushal Raj Sharma.
The administration had allotted Cantt Depot and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University ground as the boarding spots for passengers. They were screened and given food packets and water bottles before they started their journey.
DM Sharma said that the list of 1,200 people, who want to return to their homes in Bihar, is ready. But the Bihar government made it clear that it would only allow trains and no other transport to enter the state. After talks with Bihar government, two trains from Varanasi to Patna and one other from Varanasi to Katihar have been sought to send the stranded people.
“We are also in touch with the West Bengal government for sending around 900 of its natives back. Same process is in progress with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other states,” he added.