Pune: Cops worry about migrants walking home

PUNE: Nearly 7,000 migrant workers in the city’s containment zones have so far applied for travel permission, but police are worried that the workers — rather than wait for the permits — may attempt to walk back to their hometowns.
Pune Municipal Corporation has declared 69 containment areas — most of these come under the jurisdictions of the Samarth, Faraskhana, Khadak, Swargate and Market Yard police stations.

No one is allowed to move in or out of these areas. After the central government allowed the movement of the migrant workers and arranged special trains, police and the local revenue authorities asked the migrants to visit nearest police station to get passes that would allow them to board the trains.
The workers staying in the containment areas also filled up the forms requesting travel. Most of them hail from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, and West Bengal. “We have informed the migrants about restrictions in containment areas, but the images and video footage on television channels showing migrants going back by trains, buses or even walking their way back home is making these people restive,” a senior police officer said.
These workers are continuously visiting the police stations seeking passes. “However, we have asked them to wait for a few more days, when they will be able to travel,” said senior inspector Balkrushna Kadam of Samarth police station.
“We have stepped up our vigil in and around the containment areas. We will not use force against migrants. We will just request them to return to their present homes,” senior inspector S S Nimbalkar of Market Yard police station.
The PMC recently sealed all the entry and exit points to these areas. A senior police officer told TOI that there was fear that the workers might jump the barricades in the dark and start walking towards their hometown.
“We have stepped up vigil, especially in the night, to avert such attempts,” an officer said.