GHAR CHALO ABHIYAN (Reach Home campaign)

After the exposure by the print and the electronic media about the excessive plight of the migrant population, especially the construction workers and youths engaged in private jobs on contractual basis who’ve lost employment and are either stagnated in critical situation or are compelled to walk on foot thousands of kilometres to reach their respective homes – the governments of various states have finally tightened their belts and are showing extreme eagerness to bring back these stranded laborers and migrant population from various states to their own states by arranging their own state transport or financing the railways.

The tragic incident of Aurangabad, Maharashtra where 15 to 17 migrant workers have died due to a rail accident while sleeping on railway tracks have traumatized the entire nation. These migrants were going to Madhya Pradesh via rail tracks and were sleeping when they were run over by the running train sending shock waves all over the country.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat who was being pursuaded since long to arrange for the safe repatriation of stranded persons from various states of the country to Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand in view of the 43 days lockdown due to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic has finally initiated a GHAR CHALO ABHIYAN ( Reach Home campaign) in various parts of the country. According to sources, the initiative to bring back the stranded persons in various parts of the country during the pandamic lockdown by the chief minister has finally been brought into action with thousands of migrants from Uttarakhand stranded in Gurugram being ferried to Uttarakhand state in state government transport buses to Uttarakhand. The government of Uttarakhand has sought queries from the stranded people of Uttarakhand in various states asking them to register themselves in the state government’s website.

According to the latest reports about 1.70 lakh stranded Uttarakhandies have got themselves registered from various states of the country. The Uttarakhand government has assured to make their safe transport to their respective houses in various parts of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. Today good number of buses have left Gurugram with hundreds of stranded passengers to Kumaon areas of Uttarakhand under the CM’S INTITIAVE OF GHAR CHALO ABHIYAN. The Uttarakhand chief minster Trivendra Singh Rawat has assured the people of Uttarakhand that every stranded Uttarakhandi in the pandemic lockdown areas all over the country will be ferried back to Uttarakhand safely.

He has appealed them to exercise restraint and patience in this critical juncture. The govt is committed to ensure every Uttarakhandies “ghar vapsi” safe home return at all costs said the chief minister. He also lauded the efforts of the state transporrt minister Yashpal Arya. On Thursday also several buses of Uttarakhand state transport had reached Haldwani with hundreds of stranded passengers who were after proper medical examination send to their respective destinations. As per the latest information the state government is ferring stranded persons of Uttarakhand free of charge from various states of the country including free delivery of food stuff and meals. The stranded youths brought back to Uttarakhand from Gurugram and some other destinations were happy and satisfied after reaching their respective destinations safely. They also thanked the chief minister for their safe return home.

However, sources reveal that there are still a massive number of stranded population in various parts of the country facing extreme hardships and financial scarcity and instability. There had been reports of some stranded railway passengers having been charged railway fares for their transportation by the railway authorities and condemned by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi who assured of financing these migrant workers. However, the central government has denied the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s charges claiming that the union government is bearing 85 percent fare and 15% would be borne by the respective state governments. Several buses of Uttarakhand state transport has till now ferried thousands of stranded persons from Gurugram to Rudra Prayag, Gurugram to Bageshwar, Gurugram to Pithoragarh, Gurugram to Pauri Garhwal, Kotdwar and several destinations of Kumaon region.