BHUBANESWAR: While the State Government is looking at a possible return of more than five lakh migrant workers after May 3, who would straightaway be put in institutional quarantine, it has got a reality check on things to come with 19 persons escaping from a centre in Raygada district on Thursday. According to reports, as many as 19 truck drivers from outside states who had been put up in a quarantine centre in Kerada village of the district fled in the wee hours.
Seventeen truck drivers from Punjab and two from Uttar Pradesh were stranded in Andhra Pradesh after the 21- day nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 by PM Narendra Modi. They had unloaded their vehicles in the state and were returning when the restrictions came into force. Unable to proceed further, the drivers reportedly left their empty trucks parked along the Andhra-Odisha border and pooled together in a single truck to reach their homes in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
They were, however, stopped by Rayagada Police on March 25 and sent to institutional quarantine at Kerada High School. “As no passenger was allowed to travel in a goods vehicle, the drivers were restrained from proceeding further,” said Saravana Vivek, SP Rayagada. None of the drivers had symptoms of coronavirus and their 14-day quarantine period got over on April 7.
But, they were not allowed to leave due to the lockdown and subsequently because of its extension till May 3. Adequate arrangements were made for them at the centre even as their requests to let them go were turned down due to the lockdown. They managed to flee by breaking one of the windows of the school in the wee hours of Thursday, said the police officer. Seskhal police in Rayagada district have registered a case in this regard under Sections 188, 271 and 34 of the IPC and investigation into the matter is on.