The Delhi Police on early hours of Friday intercepted a truck in the national Capital carrying 37 migrant labourers to Haryana’s Palwal town during lockdown. Police said that they have sent the labourers to a shelter home in city.
According to RP Meena, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Southeast district, around 1.30 am, police stopped a truck bearing a Haryana registration number near Okhla T-point and found 37 labourers inside.
“The contractor told the police he was ferrying the labourers to Palwal Mandi from Okhla Mandi in Delhi for work. The contractor is a resident of Lakhi Sarai district in Bihar and had been staying in Palwal,” said the DCP.
“The labourers were staying in Chhatarpur. All of them have been booked under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and section 3 of the Epidemic Act,” said the DCP.
Another seven migrant labourers trying to travel to their home district Vaishali in Bihar were intercepted by a police team in South Extension.
According to Atul Kumar Thakur, the DCP, South district, the labourers had hired an SUV (Toyota Innova ) of a Trilokpuri resident for Rs 37,000. “The vehicle was seized and the seven labourers were sent to a shelter home. A case has been registered against the driver and he has been arrested,” said the DCP adding that the advance payment made to the driver has been returned.
Meanwhile, in south Delhi, over 50 labourers who were planning to leave for their native village in Bihar amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown were also counselled and provided ration after Delhi police received a distress call from one of them.
According to police, on Thursday, a labourer Manoj Yadav, hailing from Sangam Vihar, called Additional DCP -1, South district Parminder Singh and informed him that over 50 labourers were in urgent need of ration. He also told the DCP that the labourers were contemplating moving to their native village in Supaul in Bihar as they were unable to meet their food requirements, police said.
“The information was shared with ACP of Sangam Vihar who then instructed the local Station House Officer (SHO) to help the labourers. The person who made the call was contacted, counselled and assured help,” said Atul Kumar Thakur, the DCP, South district.
“A list of 55 such needy labourers was compiled and with the help of a good samaritan, 12 kilogram (kg) dry ration, which included 5 kg wheat flour, 5 kg rice and 2 kg dal was distributed to each labourer,” said the DCP.
“Accordingly, 660 kg dry ration was arranged for the 55 labourers and distributed to them. They were counselled and told not to worry for ration. All the labourers are now satisfied and they have no plans to leave Delhi,” said the DCP.