Delhi: Over 8 lakh migrant workers leave Delhi in four weeks of lockdown

New Delhi: The Delhi Transport Department has revealed that over 8 lakh migrant workers have left the national capital within a period of the first four weeks of the lockdown between 19 April and 14 May this year. The national capital had to resort to a lockdown due a sharp surge in Covid-19 cases in the month of April.

During the second wave of Covid-19 a total of 8,07,032 migrant workers left Delhi for their home states in buses, out of which 3,79,604 left during the first week of the lockdown itself. The number started declining from thereon, 2,12,448 left in the second week, 1,22,490 in the third week and 92, 490 in the fourth week, according to the data revealed by the Delhi Transport Department.

"The timely coordination with transport authorities of neighbouring states, especially Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand by the Government of NCT of Delhi has helped about eight lakhs migrant workers to reach their destination without any difficulty," read the report.

The official data further claims that there were 21,879 interstate bus trips during the four weeks of the lockdown.

Last year, after the central government announced a nation-wide lockdown, there was a massive exodus of migrants. Due to lack of public transport facilities, the migrants were forced to leave on foot. The Delhi government, learning from the past experience of the first surge of pandemic in March 2020, deputed buses to facilitate migrant workers to reach their destination.

"Transport department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi prepared a plan for deployment of 500 cluster buses on interstate routes under emergency. There was no complaint of overcharging as the interstate buses were owned and operated by state governments," the report said.

It also mentioned that "train travel" was a preferred mode by migrants in the current lockdown as trains were operational unlike the last year's coronavirus-induced lockdown in March.

A lockdown in the national capital was first imposed on 19 April. The lockdown was then extended multiple time in order to bring the rising cases of Covid-19 under control. The most recent extension of lockdown was announced on May 16.