Over 5.64 lakh migrant workers brought back to UP in 449 trains so far: Official

A total of 449 trains have so far brought over 5.64 lakh migrant workers back to Uttar Pradesh which is the highest in the country, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said on Saturday.

Seventy-three trains are scheduled to arrive on Saturday while permission for 286 trains has been given for Sunday. With this, about 9.5 lakh migrant labourers and workers have either returned or arrangements for their return have been made, Awasthi said.

Three lakh people have come from Gujarat so far onboard 223 trains, 1.2 lakh on 97 trains from Maharashtra while 90,000 people have arrived from Punjab in 78 trains. Similarly, more trains would arrive from other states, he added.

More than 15 lakh workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh by trains, buses and other modes of transport till now, he further said.

The senior official said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the Auraiya incident and instructed officers to make arrangements for migrant workers so that they safely reach their homes.

At least 25 migrant workers were killed and 40 others injured when a trailer and a stationary truck on which they had hitched rides collided on a highway near Auraiya in the early hours of Saturday.

All police officers have been instructed to provide food and water to all migrant workers by taking details on the border. They should be screened and should be sent home safely in a respectful manner. Make sure that no migrant worker travels on foot, the Chief Minister has instructed, Awasthi said.

On the instructions of the Chief Minister, 200 buses have been deployed on state borders while additional arrangements have been made in all the districts of the border, the additional chief secretary said.

He said that the Chief Minister has given instructions to improve food quality and distribution arrangements through the community kitchens. Monitoring committees in rural and urban areas have been instructed to ensure proper home quarantine as about 15 lakh workers have returned home.

The Chief Minister also instructed officials to install ultra-thermometers for screening in every village while also giving directions to increase the testing capacity to 10,000 per day, Awasthi said.

In connection with the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package, all the officials have been instructed to make a plan and send it to the Central government. The Chief Minister has directed officials to engage labourers under the Jal Jeevan mission and get them to take care of destitute cattle shelter homes and plantation work.