Migrant staff returning to their residence states from Maharashtra at the moment are complaining of alleged extortion by the Maharashtra Police. The migrant staff are fleeing Maharashtra principally due to the 15-day lockdown measures imposed by the Uddhav Thackeray authorities.
“We are returning to our homes because there was the problem of earning livelihood after curfew announcement. I had migrated back last year also during lockdown but returned after the situation improved. This time too, like the last year, the police extorted heavily from us,” a taxi driver mentioned.
“We are coming from Pune. There a travellers bus took Rs 2,500-3000 per ticket from them. Still, they made us get off the bus at the Maharashtra border and asked to board these two vehicles. The Police and transport department at the Border Checking Point overlooked the jeeps,” mentioned Sanaullah Khan, a migrant employee getting back from Maharashtra.
More than 50 migrant staff have been situated close to the Indore bypass, crammed up in two jeeps on their approach to Jabalpur. These staff have been rescued by Indore’s Rau Thana police, together with an NGO.
“Besides food and a place to rest, doctors and medicines are also available for those who come here. If the need arises, we provided help from the hospital. People coming here are in need of food and shelter as they are were tired. That is why, with the help of the police administration we set up this tent to provide them some relief to the migrant,” mentioned Shailesh Kumawat, a social employee.
On Tuesday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra authorities introduced the imposition of Section 144 for all the state so as to fight the ever-rising variety of COVID-19 instances. This excessive step has prompted panic within the migrant employee communities residing in Maharashtra, inflicting them to flee the state again to their very own respective states of origin as a result of concern of shedding their livelihoods.