“Over 15,000 Migrants Have Been Returning To The State Every Day,” Says Anil Deshmukh

The official, when outstation trains started plying around 8,000 migrant workers were coming in daily. now the number increased to over 15,000

MUMBAI| Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh said around 10 lakh migrant workers who had returned to their native states and villages when the nationwide lockdown was called, over 15,000 migrants have been returning to the state every day on Thursday.

According to records maintained by the police at railway stations and bus stands across the state, nearly 11,500 workers are returning to Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) daily. The rest are going to Gondia, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Pune.

While speaking to media person, Deshmukh said that now the businesses are slowly opening up, several migrant workers working at these places are returning from their hometowns. He added that they are being made to undergo thermal screenings once they arrive and in case they show no symptoms of COVID-19, they are sent to home quarantine for 14 days.

According to the home department, the majority of the migrant workers have been returning to Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Pune. An official said, “Most are coming by trains.”

The official added that initially, when outstation trains started plying from June 1, around 8,000 migrant workers were coming in daily. However, the numbers have now increased to over 15,000. “As days go by, the numbers are only going to increase as more and more businesses are opening up.”

An official said, as per rough estimates, at least 1 lakh migrants have already returned to the state. Police personnel have been deployed at railway stations to ensure that a record of those returning to the state is maintained and necessary safety precautions are followed. The official said, “Following the thermal screening, those who appear to have high temperature are taken to quarantine centres.”