The State government has received around 80 thousand applications online from the stranded labourers seeking to leave to Goa for their native places. The Chief Minister Mr Pramod Sawant said that an arrangement of transportation for the same are being made by state Government. The CM is aware that post lockdown the economics activities in the state will resume and workers, especially in the construction sector, will be in short supply and hence he also urged the labourers to continue to remain in the state.
The State government under the guidance of CM made an announcement asking stranded labourers to register themselves online in case if they wish to go back their natives place post lockdown and the appeal received a huge response from the stranded labourers and around 80 thousand migrant labourers had registered their names online.
According to the reports, The Goa government is trying to arrange for the return of 80,000 migrant labourers, who have registered with local authorities to have them transported back, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday. The registration includes labourers from include 18,000 migrant workers from Karnataka, 17,000 from Uttar Pradesh and 11,000 from Bihar.
“We are in talks with the railway’s authorities and special trains will be arranged which will begin from one station in Goa and culminate at a station in UP and Bihar,” Sawant said while addressing a press conference.
Although the process has already begun and numerous also been announced but according to the sources, there is no clarity on when the arrangements will be finalised. “We will announce the departure of trains publicly,” said CM.
According to reports, Sawant urged the labourers to continue to remain in the state saying that after economic activities resume, workers, especially in the construction sector, will be in short supply.
Meanwhile, the state government also welcomed Goa residents who have been stranded at different parts of the country and wish to travel to the state on their own but cautioned they will be taken to the quarantine centre once they are back and will be kept there until the results of their swab tests are in and reported negative. “After that, we will send them home with a home quarantine stamp mandating that they quarantine themselves at home for 14-days,” CM added.
According to the reports, more than 3,000 Goans are seeking to return home, many of whom are willing to come back in their own vehicles and have registered online for transit permits on the Goa government website.
According to CM, the people will be divided into two segments, residents and non-residents. “Those who show the proof residence, will be quarantined for free, and those who are not the residents of Goa and planning to visit due to some emergencies including the ill health of relative, and for work reasons will be allowed in the state but will have to pay Rs 2,500 per day for their 14-day quarantine in a hotel,” he said.
“We will not be liberally issuing permissions to persons for whom Goa is not home. Only in the case of emergencies, they will be allowed as an exception,” Sawant said.
It may be recalled that earlier this week, around a hundred labourers converged at a railway station after word spread that trains were being arranged to take them back to their home state, necessitating the intervention of the police to help them return to their homes.
Source: HT
