People stranded in U'khand due to lockdown restless to return home

Jammu-resident Vijay Baru, who is a trader of woollen clothes, came to Nainital in March in connection with his business but got stranded there after a lockdown was imposed nationwide to contain coronavirus.

"I have been virtually imprisoned in Nainital since last month. I am eager to return to Jammu but despite all my efforts I am not being able to do that," said Baru.

He is not alone as more than twenty-four people from Jammu and Kashmir are stranded in the lake city since the lockdown. His plight is shared by a number of people including Liaquat Hussain and Ashiq Hussain from Kupwara in Kashmir, Ankush Kotwal from Kishtwar and Rakesh Kumar from Jammu who are also confined in Nainital and restless to go back home.

Liaquat Hussain requested the state government of the state to facilitate the return of those stranded in Uttarakhand.

About 1,700 people from other states, including 700-800 tourists, are stranded at different places in Uttarakhand due to the lockdown, with many of them are staying in different resorts of Haridwar and Rishikesh, officials said.

Uttarakhand DG (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar said so far 700 foreign tourists have been sent back to their respective countries through their embassies but nearly as many are still there.

Apart from them, 30,000 to 40,000 labourers from different states are also stranded in Uttarakhand and eager to go back to their states, he said.

However, with the partial resumption of industrial activities in the state, the number of labourers wanting to return home may change, Kumar said.

Triloki Kumar Kar, a resident of Singroli district in Madhya Pradesh who retired this month is also confined in Badrish colony of Dehradun where he had come to see his daughter but could not go back due to the lockdown.

"I wanted to spend my day of retirement with my colleagues but the lockdown confined me here and I could not fulfil my wish," he said.