UP govt bearing expenses to bring migrant workers home, states should not charge them: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asked other states not to charge train fares from its migrant workers as his government was the bearing the expenses.

Uttar Pradesh has arranged trains from different states to bring back migrant labourers and workers willing to return. The state is bearing all expenses for it, the chief minister said at a high level review meeting with senior officials here.

Till now, the state government has brought back more than 16 lakh migrant labourers and workers safely. As many as 656 Shramik Special' trains have brought 8.52 lakh migrants. In the next two days, 258 more trains will come. This way, a total of 914 trains have been arranged, Adityanath said.

Around 12,000 buses of the UP State Road Transport Corporation have been arranged for taking migrants to their home districts. Besides, 200 buses have been given to every district magistrate, he said.

The chief minister said 16 lakh more migrants could arrive and keeping this in mind, there was a need to make proper arrangements for quarantine centres and community kitchens, and directed the officials in this regard.

Asking them to further strengthen the quarantine centres and the community kitchens, Adityanath directed that CCTV cameras be installed at these facilities.

He asked for continuing the home delivery system in containment zones and sanitisation of hotspot areas and the homes of all those undergoing quarantine.

Every house in a hotspot area should be sanitised, the chief minister said, calling for increased patrolling during the lockdown on highways, expressways and in market areas.

The chief minister said for patrolling in rural areas, help of home guards and ex-servicemen below 60 years of age should be taken and it should be ensured that there is no crowding anywhere.

He said that testing labs should be set up in every district and asked for increasing their testing capacity.

The chief minister directed that only ICMR-approved labs should conduct tests of COVID-19.

He said a senior official should be sent to assist chief medical officers in every district.

For checking road accidents, the police and the Transport department should work in coordination with each other, the chief minister.