Eerie silence descends on Delhi's Anand Vihar again

NEW DELHI: The Anand Vihar area, which saw scores of migrant workers descending on the interstate bus terminus and the Kaushambi bus depot on the other side of the road on Saturday and Sunday, was eerily desolate on Monday. A strict clampdown was imposed not only on all roads leading to Anand Vihar but also at all border areas of Delhi.
From Saturday night to Sunday, more than 30,000 migrant workers who reached the area despite fervent appeals from chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to stay back in Delhi were transported to nearby areas in Uttar Pradesh, from where they could get buses to their villages.
On Monday, only security personnel and multiple layers of barricades could be seen in the area with both the ISBT and the Kaushambi depot sealed. “It will be ensured that no crowding takes place at Delhi’s borders with UP and Haryana,” a Delhi government official said.
From Monday, the government has ensured stringent checking of those boarding Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster scheme buses and only those involved in essential services and carrying curfew passes are being allowed to board. “Drivers and conductors have been told that they will face action if there’s any violation,” he said.
Just 50% of Delhi’s bus fleet has been deployed to ferry those involved in essential services. Routes have been rationalised keeping in mind the workplaces of essential service providers and their residential areas. Many hospitals have also hired DTC buses to ferry their staff.