Stranded in Uttarakhand: ‘6-7 people in a room… where is social distancing?’

On Sunday evening, police personnel found Shahnaz near the city’s ISBT and asked her to go to Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy, where arrangements have been made for accommodation of migrant labourers walking back home — within the state and outside, especially to UP.

Shahnaz, who has no family after her husband left her a few years ago, said: “I want to go home. I am the only woman here. The others in the room are men. I will request police officials — when they come — to provide me a separate room.”

SP (City) Shweta Chaubey said she will ensure separate arrangement for Shahnaz if no one is accompanying her.

Chaubey said that several places, including the local gurdwara and educational institutions such as those in Nehru Colony and Prem Nagar, are being used to provide shelter to migrant labourers.

At Ram Mohan Roy Academy, 24 labourers have been put up in three classrooms, and are provided all meals. There are carpets in the rooms for them to sleep on, but they complained of mosquitoes and asked for mosquito nets.

But the workers said they want to go home. Vinod Kumar, 34, who works as an attendant at a hotel in Delhi, walked to Dehradun to return home – in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. “When I was heading towards Rishikesh on Sunday evening, some policemen near ISBT told me that I cannot go anywhere… They asked me to stay here in this school, but I want to go. There are six or seven people in a single room. Where is the social distancing,” he asked.

Vinod has written a message for the district magistrate and police on the classroom board: “We are stranded in Dehradun and have no conveyance to go home. Those who want to go home on foot, please allow them to leave.”

P S Mehra, in-charge of security at the school, said the workers are being given food with the help of social organisations and the police.

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