The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday asked states and Union Territories to ensure that migrant workers who are willing to return to their native places board the buses and special trains that have been arranged for them.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretaries of all States, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla urged that the state governments should ensure that there is no movement of migrant workers on roads and railway tracks.
Bhalla said that states and union territories were advised earlier that if migrant workers are found to be walking on roads and railway tracks, they should be appropriately counselled, taken to nearby shelters and provided food and water till such time they are facilitated to board the Shramik Special trains or buses to their native places.
“However, movement of migrant workers walking on roads, railway tracks and travelling in trucks is still being noticed in different parts of the country,” he added.
He also said that the Centre has already allowed the movement of migrant workers by buses and Shramik Special trains to enable them to travel to their home states.
“It is now the responsibility of all states and union territories to ensure that movement of stranded migrant workers who are willing to go to their home states is facilitated,” he said.
“States/UTs should widely disseminate the arrangements for travel in special buses/ ‘Shramik’ special trains amongst the migrant workers and persuade/ counsel them that they should not be walking when they can travel in buses/ trains,” he added.