UP DGP visits Lucknow bus stand, takes stock of people waiting for buses to return to native places

The Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh, OP Singh, along with the Commissioner of Police, Lucknow, on Saturday visited the Charbagh area bus stand in Lucknow and took stock of the situation where hundreds of people have gathered to return to their native places after returning from Delhi and other parts of the state.

"I talked to the people and urged them to leave for their places quickly. We urged them not to gather at the spot. We are trying to streamline the process so that minimum time is taken for medical checkups and other precautions needed when they reach their area. Most of the people starnded here are from areas like Bahraich, Gonda, Gorakhpur and other areas like Itawa, among others," Singh told ANI here.

The police team also distributed water and biscuit packets among the people assembled in the area as a relief measure.

The passengers, meanwhile, said they were stressed by their long and tiresome journeys but were thankful for the buses plying in the area.

"I am returning from Anand Vihar, Delhi-NCR to Azamgarh. I reached here at midnight and could catch the bus only on Saturday afternoon," Rajiv Kumar Rai, told ANI.

The Uttar Pradesh government has made arrangements for 1000 buses to take the migrant workers to their respective hometowns amid the lockdown.

Transportation officers, bus drivers, and conductors were called by the UP Chief Minister last night to make all the necessary arrangements.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India rose to 873 on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total number of active cases in the country rose to 775, while 78 patients have been cured and discharged.

The number of deaths due to the infection stood at 19, while one patient has migrated.