Migrants homeward bound again, fearing fresh lockdown
The Hindu
No proposal to cancel trains, say SCR officials
Migrants working in different sectors in Andhra Pradesh have started returning to their native villages fearing the possibility of a fresh lockdown being imposed in the State following the surge in COVID-19 cases. With last year’s lockdown travails fresh in their memory, they apparently do not want to take a chance. With the Centre announcing lockdown on March 23 last year, and the government cancelling trains, buses and other means of transport, the labourers faced severe hardship in returning to their hometowns. Thousands of them from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Telangana, who were working in various sectors in the State, were forced to trek their way home carrying children and belongings on shoulders in hot sun. A few of them died en route.More Related News