Despite assurance, exodus continues: ‘Virus will last months, what about then?’

He is one of thousands of migrant workers who have been streaming out of their rented shanties in Delhi and, in the absence of transport, walking to their villages. This, despite the Delhi government promising to feed four lakh people every day.

At the Ghazipur border on Friday night, a few children cried, while others begged their parents to let them rest by the roadside for a while. Adding to their woes was the rain, since most of them did not have a change of clothes.

Hundreds stood under a bridge and waited for the rain to stop while others walked on the highway. Meanwhile, police tried to reason with them. Senior officers, including DCP (East) Jasmeet Singh, requested families to stay in Delhi and assured them that police and authorities will help.

Pushpa (45) told the personnel: “You can only provide us with food packets for a day or two. This coronavirus will last for weeks, maybe months. We can’t trust the government. Did anyone think about us for the last four days? Why do they care now?”

Sitting with her husband on the roadside, Mahadevi (47) cursed her luck. “We shifted to Seelampur in November. Three months after that, communal clashes took place and we had to go back to our home in Datia, Madhya Pradesh. We came back 20 days ago and now we have to leave again. I have no shelter or water, how will I maintain hygiene? I have packed three rotis for me and my husband. We had to leave behind all our belongings and vegetable stall. My children are with my sister in Datia,” she said.

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