CM takes special initiative to bring back workers home
The Jharkhand Government on Friday sent special buses to Nepal to bring back 26 labourers of Jharkhand back home after these migrant labourers requested theState Government for their safe return.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren took special initiative for their return and two special buses were flagged-off from Dumka Indoor stadium to Nepal. Two junior engineers of the irrigation department Rakesh Kumar and Anup Kumar Verma were also sent along the buses as magistrates to safely bring the workers back.
All these labourers are from Ramgarh block of Dumka district and they were facing hardship in Nepal which like India is facing health crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Rendered jobless in Nepal as Covid-19 has affected construction and commercial activities here, these labourers are struck in Garigaon village under Sindhupalchok district of Nepal. Sindhupalchok is part of Bagmati province of Nepal.
The Jharkhand Government contacted the local administration of Nepal as well as Indian embassy in Nepal and requested food and lodging for these labourers till their transportation is arranged.
These labourers were also helped by local NGO Shubh Sandesh Foundation and administration of Nepal. The NGO on Thursday also posted a twitter message along with a video of labourers.
“Doing our best to assist 26 Jharkhand migrants stuck in Nepal. Our friends in Nepal are in touch coordinating food, travel passes, medicine etc for them,” the twitter post read.
In the video migrant labourers are seen requesting the Jharkhand Government to save their lives as they are stranded in Nepal due to the lockdown. They said that most of them have fallen sick but they are not getting any treatment and food.
The video soon became viral as former MLA and BJP leader Kunal Sarangi also posted a twitter message urging the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to rescue them. Former Central minister and BJP MP Jayant Sinha, also commented that he was also making efforts for labourers.
“Labourers facing hardship wanted to return to Jharkhand. But, they had neither money nor resources for the same. They were not even left with sufficient quantities of food to survive. Also, Jharkhand is under a stricter lockdown till May 27 so they had no option for return. They requested the Jharkhand Government for their return and arrangements have been quickly made,” said an official of the State Government.
These labourers will be picked from the border of Biratnagar. After their return they will be kept at Dumka Indoors stadium under observation to ensure that they are not affected by Covid-19.
Last year also during the lockdown; the Hemant Soren led government had made special arrangements to bring labourers back to their home by means of trains, buses and flights.