Lockdown: 480 Tamil youths stuck in Maharashtra returning home in 16 buses

CHENNAI: As many as 480 youths from 17 districts in Tamil Nadu, who are working as marketing executives in Sangli district of Maharashtra and were stranded there , began their journey to their native places at 10pm on Friday. While this brings cheer among all the youths heading home, there are others who are still longing to return.
The youths, all in the age group of 20-27 years, began their journey from Sangli district of Maharashtra in 16 buses.The group of men are grateful to the chief executive officer of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) P Anbalagan, who is from Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
“The officer reached out to us and asked us to be ready with our medical certificates and assured to arrange transportation that would take us back home,” said M Illayaraj from Pudukkottai district, who could not travel with the others as he was from a Covid-19 containment zone in Maharashtra. MIDC arranged funds to facilitate the transport by roping in industries. The cost incurred in transporting the youth was Rs 18 lakh.
“All of these arrangements were made after getting the Tamil Nadu government’s consent. I also contacted the TN nodal officer for Maharashtra Pooja Kulkarani. She agreed to receive the group in Salem,” Anbalagan said.
The group would be dropped in Salem around 3pm on Saturday. One of the youths travelling in the bus said, “We have to reach our native place from Salem. We hope the state would arrange transport facilities from Salem to our native districts.”
After dropping the Tamil youths, the buses will be used to ferry Maharashtrians who are stranded in Tamil Nadu.
“As of now, around 200 students from the state will be taken back to Maharashtra. However, authorities would decide on how many people would travel back,” he added. Before boarding the bus, all passengers would be tested for Covid-19 symptoms, " Anbalagan said.
Currently there are over 650 Tamils in different parts of Sangli district. The authorities only allowed people from non-containment zones of Sangli district to travel.
First batch of migrants from Kerala reach TN
As many 87 workers were brought from Palakkad in Kerala to Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. The group reached the state in Kerala State Transportation Corporation buses.
This is the first batch of people from Kerala reaching the state. All of these guest workers worked in a brick kiln. They struggled for food since the lockdown began and sent out an SOS through social media. Following which, officials initiated their travel.
Palakkad district collector D Balamurali and Nagapattinam collector Praveen Nair coordinated with nodal officer for Kerala John Varghese to bring back the labourers. “This is the first interstate rescue mission between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The labourers reached Nagapattinam in three buses,” an official said.