COVID-19: People stranded at Anand Vihar bus terminal amid lockdown in Delhi

Many people from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were left stranded at Delhi's Anand Vihar Interstate Bus Terminal on Sunday as the governments of UP and Delhi announced lockdowns to check the spread of COVID-19.

According to some travellers, they had boarded trains from Kerala, Goa and several other places after Prime Minister Modi called for a 'Janta curfew' in the country which was to be observed on March 22.

Ashwin Daniel and Rishab from Uttarakhand said that they had boarded a train soon after the Janta Curfew was announced. They reached Delhi on Sunday morning and have been waiting for buses at Anand Vihar bus stand since then. They added that they had no idea that the lockdown would continue.

"I have been stuck here since morning; I have come from Bengaluru and have to reach Uttarakhand. There are no buses available, not even cabs. We have not eaten anything. We were on our way on board a train when the lockdown was announced, what could we have done possibly? I don't know where to go," Ashwin told ANI here.

"We boarded a train on March 21. If there were plans to announce a lockdown, they should have stopped the last train first, we wouldn't have left Bengaluru then," said Rishabh.

Another traveller, Haider Ali, who hails from UP's Pilibhit, told ANI," I have been standing here since yesterday evening, and there are many like me who are stuck here. No bus is available because of the lockdown. We have not even eaten anything since morning. I walked half of my way to Anand Vihar but there is no way through which I can reach home."

The police also do not let the people stand in groups as the government has prohibited assembly of people.

On Sunday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a complete lockdown in Delhi from March 23 till March 31 for the prevention and containment of COVID-19.

The state has also imposed Section -144 of CrPC, which prohibits assembly of more than four people.

The government said that all shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, godowns, weekly markets shall stop their operations and only essential services and establishments have been exempted from the lockdown.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 471 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India.