Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says the return of the migrants is a major issue. (File)
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said bringing back stranded migrants is a "Himalayan challenge" as it will include arranging quarantine facilities, making sure the workers don't spread coronavirus and ramping up testing in the state.
Assam has more than 6 lakh migrant workers stuck in different parts of the country and the state government has booked five special "Shramik" trains to get them home amid the ongoing nation-wide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The Centre today asked all states and union territories to ensure that migrant workers "do not resort to walking on road and on railway track," and sought cooperation of the states in counselling them and running more "Shramik" trains for the stranded labourers.
"The return of migrant workers to their homes is a massive task for the states... Even in Assam, which has less number of positive cases as compared to the rest of the country, the return of the migrants is a major issue, due to the situation that will evolve after they reach here," Mr Sonowal said.
He said the state has informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the steps taken by Assam and its experience in handling COVID-19.
"The biggest issue now perhaps is the migrants' return, no doubt it's a massive task ahead, a huge challenge... it's a Himalayan challenge ahead getting people back safely, arranging quarantine, making sure they don't spread the infection to ramping up testing... it would a massive exercise," he said in Guwahati today.
A special train will leave Chennai in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday for Assam, while another would come from Ahmadabad, Gujarat, on May 15, carrying the migrants.
The train from Bangalore, Karnataka, will run on May 18, from Hyderabad on May 21, and from Kochi, Kerala, on May 24.
"All these people will come to Assam and when they reach, it will be a huge task for us, we have to do health check-ups and put them into quarantine," Mr Sonowal added.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said an estimated 10,000 migrants per district would be arriving by these trains in the next 45 days. This number is besides the one counting those who would be returning by private vehicles or ambulances, he added.
After inaugurating a 50-bedded ICU at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Mr Sarma said quarantining such a large number of migrants in their home districts would be the greatest challenge in the days ahead.
"There will be about 1,200 persons per train and the exact numbers and where the migrants were headed would be known by tomorrow but it will be huge and the task would be challenging," the minister said.
Lakhs of migrants were stranded without jobs, food and money as a countrywide lockdown to tackle the pandemic began in March. Many of them were seen in heartbreaking pictures walking hundreds of kilometres on foot as transport services remained shut. Earlier this month, the government started special "Shramik trains" to help them return to their hometowns.