1,500 buses bring back workers: You are our responsibility, says UP CM

Earlier in the day, he chaired a review meeting on the issue.

“On Sunday, 225 buses transported people from the Delhi border… Most of the buses came to Lucknow, from where people were ferried to different parts of the state. Not everyone is being taken to their home districts. Some are being accommodated at nearby shelters depending on the situation and bus routes,” said an official in the state road transport corporation.

The official said in Lucknow, buses were operating from Kamta and Alambagh bus stations, both on the outskirts of the city so that “people don’t have to cross the city and can leave for their destinations”.

The official said on Sunday 120 buses took migrant workers and their families from these two points to either their destinations or a nearby shelter.

Over the weekend, most of the buses from Lucknow left for districts such as Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Basti, Varanasi, Sultanpur and Jagdishpur.

Officials said after Sunday afternoon, no one was charged for their travel in buses after instructions from the chief minister. “Till this afternoon, buses were charging people for their travel, but after CM gave instructions on Sunday afternoon, all travel in state buses has been made free,” said a senior official.

Meanwhile, Adityanath instructed 32 nodal officers, appointed to help UP workers stranded in at least 19 states, to “work responsibly and ensure that people don’t go hungry and have shelter”. He also told them to take every call from people in distress.

In a statement, the government said 32 such officers had been appointed for different states. “Of them, 16 are senior IAS officers and the rest senior IPS officers,” it added.

Adityanath asked the officials to convince the people to stay put and that people from other states should not face problems in Uttar Pradesh.

“All other concerns, except permission for travel, should be addressed,”Adityanath added.

A statement issued by the state government claimed that several measures were being taken to stop factory workers from leaving their workplace. A total 2,163 units were making arrangements on their premises to take care of their workers and salary had been paid by 3,541 units during the lockdown period. Till now, 5,314 units have been contacted, of which 2,503 units have agreed to pay salary to workers for the lockdown period.

The Adityanath government claimed Rs 1,000 has been transferred to 8.01 lakh construction workers.

“Arrangements have been made for the passes and other things for labourers working in those factories that have been decided to remain open. A total of 1,873 units should have been operational. At present, 1,425 units are operational,” read the statement.

On the Chief Minister Helpline 1076, as many as 93 complaints related to salary payment were received, which were forwarded for redressal to the officers of the Labour Department of the districts concerned. Fifteen of them have been partially settled, the statement added.