Migrant workers leave from Mumbai in autorickshaws amid lockdown

Despite the special passenger trains being run by the government to ferry stranded migrants back to their homes, people are travelling via autorickshaws to return to their home States from Maharashtra. Auto drivers, their families, and migrants stranded in Mumbai are making the journey to Bihar and Jharkhand in autos.

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Determined to reach their homes, five persons who work in Mumbai are heading towards their village in Madhubani district of Bihar, in an auto. Feeling a lack of options and resources, the migrants from Bihar shared their plight while speaking to ANI.

"I work as a food delivery executive in Mumbai. We waited for two months for the lockdown to be lifted. When we realised that the state won't do anything, we decided to take up this journey," said Dhananjay Kumar.

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Meanwhile, another group consisting of auto drivers from Maharashtra has also left the state due to lack of work amid lockdown are heading towards Jharkhand. They have reached Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district.

"I am without work for the last several weeks. It is difficult to sustain without money. So, I am returning to Ranchi, Jharkhand with my family. We usually sleep on the pavement at night and begin driving towards our destination in the morning. Sometimes, we get food provided by people on the way," said the auto driver. 

READ | TMC dubs Centre's announcements for migrants' 'hoax', claims it failed to send foodgrains

COVID-19 situation in India

The death toll due to the novel Coronavirus rose to 2,649 and the number of cases climbed to 81,970 in the country on Friday, with 100 more deaths and 3,967 fresh cases being reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 51,401 as 27,919 people were cured and discharged, and one patient migrated, the ministry said.

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(With inputs from agency)