Some states unwilling to take back migrants: Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat on Saturday expressed concern over stand taken by several states to t take in migrant workers who were stranded in Maharashtra due to COVID-19 lockdown. In a statement, Thorat, who is also state Congress president, alleged that arbitrary decisions taken by many states regarding migrant workers had worsened situation.

Maharashtra government was making every possible attempt to send stranded migrants back to ir hometowns, but several states were t willing to take in ir own citizens, minister claimed. Thorat demanded that Centre intervene in matter and give clear guidelines to all states before situation worsens.

re were nearly 10 lakh migrants in Maharashtra who wished to return to ir home states and so far, 32 trains had been operated from state, he said. Thorat furr claimed that re were several workers from West Bengal and Odisha who wanted to return to ir hometowns, but se states were unwilling to take m back.

Odisha government had decided to accept only those who had tested negative for COVID-19, while process laid out by Tamil Nadu government to take back ir workers was complicated and time consuming, he said.

"Initially, Uttar Pradesh had also refused to take back its citizens, but w y have revised ir decision and we have started sending m back," he said, claiming that Gujarat and Karnataka governments had also refused to take in ir workers.

Bihar government, who was cooperating until a few days ago, has w stopped entry to migrants, despite fact that Congress was willing to bear travel expenses of se workers, minister alleged.