UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that special trains for migrants would continue to run till all the migrants willing to return reach the state. (Express file photo by Javed Raja)
A day after the UP government said that its drive to bring back migrants through Shramik Special trains has come to an end with the last of the remaining trains to arrive in the state by this weekend, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a swift reversal of the decision said that special trains for migrants would continue to run till all the migrants willing to return reach the state.
Speaking at an event here, the Chief Minister said that his government is committed towards bringing back all the workers back to the state. “Jo bhi hongey, hum unki nishulka, surakshit, aur samman-janak wapasi karayenge (Whoever is left will be brought back free of cost, safely and with respect),” Adityanath said.
“In the entire country, the movement of free of cost train facility for migrant workers would continue in the future as well till the time, all those who are interested to come back return back to the state,” he also tweeted.
On Thursday, the UP government had cited the wrapping up of its drive to the other states no longer receiving fresh registrations from the migrants wanting to return to UP. “The governments of Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana etc have all informed us that either there are no people coming to UP or there are very few of those left. Therefore, there is no need to run special trains or buses from these states… Only over 100 more trains would be arriving from Maharashtra and a few other states in the next two days,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi had said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Awasthi said that a fresh letter is again being sent to other states asking them to inform about the number of people willing to return to UP and arrangements are made accordingly to bring them back free of cost through trains.
“Till now, 1,483 trains have arrived in the state with migrant labourers, and about 28 lakh people have come to the state through various modes of transport, including over 20 lakh by trains,” Awasthi said. The number of trains arriving in the state with migrant workers is slated to increase to 1,557 in the next few days, while 93 trains have gone from Uttar Pradesh to other states, he added.
Till date, the maximum number of 511 trains have arrived from Gujarat followed by 350 from Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister, meanwhile, also assured that migrants returning home, if found healthy during screening, will be sent home to remain in quarantine along with Rs 1,000 sustenance allowance. He directed officials to make ration cards of migrant workers to ensure that they get foodgrains on a regular basis.
He also asked them to continue the dialogue with the members of the monitoring committees, both urban and rural, to take their feedback.
Adityanath asked officials to make preparations for the campaign to distribute foodgrains set to start from June 1 apart from ensuring proper arrangements at the wheat purchase centres.
In view of the threat of locusts attack in some parts of the state, he asked officials to remain alert and ensure that no problem is caused because of it.