Over 2,000 migrants sent back home from Rajasthan's Bundi district: Admn

The Bundi district administration in Rajasthan has sent back home over 2,000 of more than 3,000 migrant workers who had registered themselves with it, officials said on Wednesday.

Similarly, over 1,200 migrant workers from the district have returned from other parts of the country, they said.

So far, the administration has facilitated the return of 2,310 of the 3,117 migrant workers from 26 states who were stranded in the district due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to Bundi Collector Antar Singh Nehra.

Nearly 145 migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh will be sent back home on buses, which will also bring back to Bundi 87 workers from the neighbouring state, he said.

As many as 470 workers from Bihar and 132 from West Bengal are still stuck in Bundi and discussions are being held with the respective state governments to facilitate their return, he added.

Similarly, 1,232 of the total 2,564 migrant workers from Bundi stuck in other states have reached home. The process to bring back home the remaining workers is underway, Nehra said.

A helpline-cum-control room set up by the Bundi district Congress Committee has facilitated the return of 250 migrant workers to 22 states in the last 19 days, a party leader said.

At least 71 migrant workers hailing from Bihar are still struck in Bundi and are staying in the municipal council's 'rain-baseras' where they are being provided food by the district administration, district Congress vice president Charmesh Sharma said.

He said Urban Housing and Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal has specially allotted funds to the state's municipal bodies for providing food to the migrant workers staying in government 'rain-baseras'.

"The party workers contribute for travel expenses of migrant workers," he added.