Amid the coronavirus lockdown, the Maharashtra government has launched free bus services up to the borders of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for migrant workers.
The decision was taken in view of the migrant labourers risking their lives by setting out on journey on foot on highways and even along railway tracks.The official said the accident in Aurangabad district on Friday in which 16 migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh were run over by a goods train was one of the main triggers behind the state government’s decision. As per information, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses will conduct more than 300 trips to the borders of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in the next two days, as they will run half of their normal capacity to maintain social distancing among passengers.
The buses originating from suburban Borivali in Mumbai will run up to Gujarat border and from Nashik and Dhule in north Maharashtra up to the border of Madhya Pradesh. The state government would bear the bus travel fare of migrant labourers. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said that despite the violation of lockdown norms, the state government has decided not to be harsh with them and let them go on humanitarian grounds.
