The Gujarat government onTuesday approved shifting of Surat-based diamond workers and their family members to their native places in the Saurashtra region and formed a committee, a senior official said.The five-member panel will be chaired by Minister of State for Health Kumar Kanani. Other members include IAS officer MS Patel, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, a deputy SP and a deputy collector, said Ashwani Kumar, Secretary in the office of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani."Diamond workers in Surat mainly belonged to Amreli, Bhavnagar and Botad districts of Saurashtra region. Since they want to go back to their native places, we have formed a committee to coordinate with these three districts. People wanting to go can register themselves on an online portal to be launched by Tuesday evening," Kumar said.Prior to this announcement, Tribal Affairs Minister Ganpat Vasava and Kanani held a meeting with Surat district collector and MS Patel to discuss the issue."Diamond workers from other districts of Gujarat can also apply through that online portal," he said.An estimated 3 to 4 lakh people from Saurashtra live in Surat, most of them workers in diamond polishing units.Kumar said the permission to travel will be issued only after screening and that online registration will start from Wednesday."People having symptoms like cough and fever will not be allowed to travel. Upon reaching there (Saurashtra), these people will be checked again and asked to undergo 14 days of home quarantine," said Kumar.Kanani, an MLA from Surat, hoped that the move would help diamond workers tide over the crisis."These diamond workers are living in a pitiable condition as they don't have any work or income for more than a month. Their demand for repatriation is legitimate. At least they could work in their farms in their villages," said Kanani.
