Bihar migrants leave Nagaland for their homes in auto-rickshaws

Thirty migrant auto-rickshaw drivers from Bihar and their family members, around 150 in all, have left for their home state from Nagaland's Dimapur in their three-wheelers, officials said.

The auto-rickshaw drivers had secured inter-state travel permits from the office of the deputy commissioner in Dimapur, they said.

The migrants left Nagaland on Saturday through the Dillai check-post, Dimapur District Auto Drivers' Union president Tito Yepthomi said.

They were finding it difficult to make ends meet due to the lockdown, he said.

"The auto-rickshaw drivers, who are from different districts of Bihar, had become jobless due to the lockdown and they were so desperate to return to their native places that they did not mind travelling around 1,200 km in their vehicles," Yepthomi said.

They did not pay heed to our requests to stay back but the Union members have urged them to return once the COVID-19 crisis subsides, he said.

"They will have to travel through several states. On behalf of the Union, we request people to support them till they reach their destinations," Yepthomi added.