Migrants on way home: Toll mounts, Madhya Pradesh seeks advance notice from states

“In the absence of advance intimation, many workers arrive simultaneously, derailing the arrangement. Many workers get disturbed and create law and order situation. They themselves suffer due to this,” said Chouhan, highlighting the lack of coordination between the states. On Saturday, he asked collectors to ensure that workers travelling on overloaded trucks are made to get off, and vehicles arranged for their onward journey.

Given its central location, migrant workers on way to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand take different routes in MP to reach their homes.

In his letter, Chouhan requested the CMs to ensure that MP is intimated about workers’ movements in advance to allow it to plan. MP ferries workers who arrive at its border at Bijasan Ghat in Barwani district in buses to different state borders. Often workers have to wait for hours, some for days, to find a spot on the buses leading to unruly scenes, and violence.

MP claims to have allotted 1000 buses to ferry workers from its borders to borders of other states but thousands are still on the roads desperately trying any transport that will facilitate their onward journey quickly. The government claimed it has ensured that no worker will cross the state on foot.

Meanwhile, MP said it has brought back 3.84 lakh MP workers, who were stranded in other states, by trains and buses. About 1.06 lakh workers have reached MP in 85 trains and 2.80 lakh by road. The state said it has deployed 11,300 buses to help workers reach their homes within the state.