Tejashwi writes to Yogi for taking care of migrant workers from Bihar in Gautam Budh Nagar
The nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted political parties to put aside their rivalries and stand by the people. For this purpose, former Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has recently written to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to take special care of migrant workers from Bihar, who have lost their livelihoods after the outbreak of Covid-19.
Yadav said that he requested the UP chief minister to ensure help to labourers stuck in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts. “I have requested the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to make arrangements for food, money and other necessities for workers who were residing and employed in UP. I have requested Yogiji to help about 70 daily-wagers, who are stuck at Sector 66 in Mamura. They are all from Dulhin Bazaar in Bihar. They don’t have anything to eat and are forced to drink only water due to this lockdown. I beg the UP and Bihar government to arrange for some mode of transportation for these workers and their families, else many may die due to unimaginable hunger, fatigue and illness through no fault of theirs. And the poor and the labourers, being the most vulnerable, are the worst sufferers of this sudden announcement,” he said.
Stating that thousands of Bihar’s migrant labourers and their families are on foot, without any proper food, water, money or any place to rest properly, the leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, said that he has communicated this matter to the UP CM and his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav. “This is my humble request with folded hands to all the CMs, governments, political leaders and administrations to use their power, clout, leverage and social media accounts to reach out to these helpless people,” his letter states.
He also said that all the state governments must lend a helping hand at this time of crisis. “Arrangements of transportation must be made on time for all migrant labourers from Bihar. If the Prime Minister says that only karuna (empathy) can defeat corona, why do we not put our all efforts into showing kindness to these victims of time? The Bihar government must use various social media platforms innovatively and efficiently, to effectively reach out to each migrant as well as non-resident Biharis,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UP government, in its recent notification on Thursday, has assured that the state government will ensure all arrangements for workers who wish to return to Bihar. According to this notification issued by information and public relations department of state government, CM Yogi Adityanath has assured Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi that his government will take full care of these migrant workers and adequate arrangements are being made to send them to their respective destinations. The CM has also assured proper food arrangements for them.
Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate BN Singh said that all arrangements are being made for food and other requirements for migrant workers. “Our officials are keeping a close tab on their safety also. We are also making arrangements for their safe return to their respective hometowns,” he said.
Earlier, Yadav had also made similar appeals to former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Responding quickly to his tweet, Samajwadi Party workers, on Friday, rushed to Mamura to help people stuck there. “We provided rice, flour and other food items as well as ₹11,000 so that they can eat and stay safe for some time. It is really not possible for the government to quickly help needy persons in this time of crisis. We all need to come forward for this cause, sidelining our personal rivalry. We will carry out more relief operations at different places regularly,” said Anil Yadav, former national spokesman of Samajwadi Party, who was leading the relief operation in Mamura.