Punjab govt to run buses for migrants

The Punjab government will run buses for migrant laborers wanting to go home in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Sunday. The buses will be run free of cost daily from Jalandhar and take migrant workers to 10 UP districts, Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said in a release here. The UP districts to which the buses will ply are Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Mathura, and Hapur.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Babita Kler and Assistant Commissioner Randeep Singh Gill will tie-up with district magistrates of the 10 districts and get details about the place where the buses are to be sent, he said. The Jalandhar DC said the Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, will ensure the availability of buses and decide a tentative schedule for their departure. The Deputy Commissioner said the civil surgeon will depute teams for medical screening of the migrants.

The migrants will be told to reach the bus stand four hours before the scheduled departure. The DC said only 30 passengers will be allowed on one bus.

Arrangements will be made for food and water, he said.