Migrants continue to walk thousands of miles to reach home

When the first Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown was announced across India in March 2020, million of migrant workers were stranded without work or food and started moving back to their homes in different states.

Migrant families going home on trucks cross Lucknow on Friday. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastava)

Migrant workers in Maharashtra rush to catch a bus at MP border to get back to their villages in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Across two days last week, around 13,000 migrants from Maharashtra have reached Bijasan Ghat, the gateway from Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh and beyond. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

According to transport officials in Maharashtra, around 1.36 lakh migrants have been ferried to different state borders. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The Centre on Friday said it is the responsibility of the states to persuade migrant workers to not walk, and facilitate their travel by Shramik special trains. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

A migrant family on their way home to Uttar Pradesh, outside the Mayur Vihar Metro Station in Delhi on May 14, 2020. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

The Centre on Tuesday asked states to ensure migrant labourers do not walk on the road or railway tracks to reach home. It had asked them to counsel such labourers and put them in shelters. In this photo: Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

It had also asked states to cooperate with the railways in running more number of ‘Shramik’ special trains so that the travel of stranded migrant workers is facilitated at a faster rate. In this photo: A group of migrant labourers is leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

An official from the Noida traffic police is seen guiding the migrant labourers at Delhi-Noida entry gate on May 14, 2020. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

In a bid to ferry more migrants, the Railways on Monday decided to carry around 1,700 passengers on board its ‘Shramik Special’ trains instead of the current 1,200. In this photo: Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. According to an order issued, the railway zones have also been asked to provide three stoppages in the destination state other than the final stop, at the request of the state governments. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrants are returning from urban areas to their homes early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Earlier, sixteen migrant workers — part of a group of 20 headed towards villages in Madhya Pradesh and who were resting on the tracks — were run over by a goods train in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district. In this picture: Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate.(Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Migrant labourers leaving Delhi early on Thursday morning, May 14, 2020, at Delhi-Noida entry gate. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that migrants who don’t have ration cards will get 5 kg of wheat or rice per person and 1 kg of pulses per family for May and June each. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

A child is seen sleeping on a bag at Chandigarh's ISBT terminal, waiting for their turn for medical scanning before boarding CTU bus and going to the railway station in Chandigarh, on Thursday, May 14, 2020. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Migrant families seen sitting at a bus stand in Chandigarh on Thursday, May 14, 2020. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Migrants going to Chhattisgarh, MP & UP walking on Pune-Ahmednagar highway at Karadi amid the nationwide lockdown on Thursday night. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

Chandigarh police personnel asking migrants to leave ISBT Sector 43 in the city on Friday. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

A child retires on the bag as his family members wait in a que for verification and clearance in Ludhiana.

Migrant workers at Chandigarh's ISBT raliway station in Sector 43 line up for screening and registration journey back to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Special trains have been arranged for migrants stuck in Gautam Buddh Nagar due to temporarily closure of industries, factories. The trains started from Dadri railway station on Saturday.