MHA guidelines on movement of stranded people not appropriate, says Telangana Minister
Apr 30, 2020
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 30 : Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Thursday said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines on the movement of people, who are stranded in different states due to lockdown, are not appropriate and requested the Centre to bear the responsibility of their transportation.
"People who are stranded in other states want to go to their home state. But there are around two to three crores of people who are stranded in other states. The Central government guidelines are not appropriate. How will they be transported? It takes four days to reach Bihar from Telangana by bus," Yadav told ANI.
"In Telangana, there are migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal as well. How will they arrange transport? The Government of India should have announced that they will arrange transport and will bear its cost as well. How can people travel three to four days in buses in this heat and what about their food? I request the Central government to announce a policy how these people will be sent back to their homes. Train is better transport medium than buses," he said.
The MHA on Wednesday allowed with conditions movement of people including migrant labours, workers, students, tourists and others who are stranded due to the ongoing lockdown.
The ministry has asked States/UTs to designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. "In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one State/UT and another State/UT, the sending and receiving States may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road," read the order.
"The moving person (s) would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed. Buses shall be used for transport of groups of persons. The buses will be sanitized and shall follow safe social distancing norms in seating. The States/UTs falling on the transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving State/UT," it said.
