‘Transporting migrants in the early days of lockdown would have helped’
Commerce and transport minister Padmanabh Behera tells Hemanta Pradhan about the migrant movement, plying of buses and how he is trying to help stranded people.
Do you think bringing back migrant labourers at the beginning of the lockdown would have made some difference?
Yes, of course. The infection probably would have been less. The positive cases which we are witnessing today could have been lesser. Had the Centre started transporting migrants and stranded people in special trains to their native places soon after the lockdown, migrants would not have faced such difficulties. Many of our people got stranded in different states due to the lockdown. Some migrants started walking to return home.
How did Odisha handle the situation?
Our government decided to bring migrant workers back home on April 26. Many buses came from Surat carrying migrants. Buses from other parts of the country also came one by one. After the Centre allowed special trains on May 1, we started coordinating with other states to bring back our people.
Still thousands of people are waiting to reach Odisha. People are hiring buses and vehicles to return. We have stopped buses plying from Surat because of road accidents. I also received information about a bus coming from Maharashtra meeting with accident. Train service is convenient and safe than bus journey. But people are desperate to return so they are using whatever means to travel.
Several people have complained that they do not know how to get hold of train tickets…
I also received calls from individuals and groups regarding such issues. Many people do not know what to do and whom to approach for train tickets. The states sending people back have their portals and registration facility. People can register their names on those portals or visit the local police station for help.
Private bus owners said it is difficult to run buses due to restrictions like red and orange zones…
Yes, orange and red zones have created problem for bus owners. But they can start bus service in green zones. They may face problem while running inter-district bus service. We will try to ply buses run by Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) in the green zones. As 50 per cent seats will be filled up, fare will be doubled. The private bus owners have also demanded tax exemption. We will discuss about this. Meanwhile, we have deferred tax payment date till June.
How you are spending your days during the lockdown?
My day starts with phone calls and ends with it. Many people stranded outside call me for help. I coordinate most of the calls and send it to our officers to talk to other states and help bring back our people. On Wednesday, I got calls from a group of girl students stranded in Kerala. I get similar calls every day and try to resolve their issues.
After my matric examination, I had worked for a year as a labourer. I had worked in road construction during my youth to earn a living. I know the difficulties a worker faces. I get emotional when I see migrant workers walking back home. I appeal to everybody to help migrants. We can help them board a train or give them food and shelter. We can beat the crisis with a united effort.
EoM