Don't Go Home On Foot: E Palaniswami Appeals To Migrants

Chief Minister K Palaniswami today appealed to migrant workers stranded in Tamil Nadu not to undertake journey on foot to their home states and assured them that plans are afoot to facilitate the return of 10,000 migrant labourers every day.

He pointed out that as many as 55,473 migrant workers have been sent to their home states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and north eastern states in the last 10 days.

Against the backdrop of distressing reports of several migrant workers undertaking risky journeys on foot and the killing of 24 labourers in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, Mr Palaniswami said the 55,000 plus people were sent by 43 trains with the concurrence of the respective state governments.

"It has been planned to send about 10,000 migrant workers daily with the approval of the state governments concerned," he said in an official release in Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu government has been taking all steps to coordinate and facilitate their staggered journey based on the workers' choice and the permission of the respective state governments, he said.

Since the state government has been making all arrangements and bearing the transportation cost, including the train fare,"I appeal to migrant labourers to not undertake journey on their own either on foot or through vehicles."

Mr Palaniswami urged workers to stay put in their respective places in Tamil Nadu till such time they were sent by trains.

At least one lakh migrant workers are stuck in several regions of Tamil Nadu, including Tirupur, Coimbatore, Chennai and Vellore and most of them want to be sent back home to their home states.