Haryana police seal inter-state borders, urge migrant labourers to move into shelters

Haryana police said on Monday they have completely sealed all inter-state borders to prevent the movement of migrant workers and effectively control the spread of COVID-19, after a large number of labourers from UP, Bihar and Odisha set out on foot for their homes.

The workers are being persuaded to move into temporary shelters and the local administration and social workers are serving food there, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said.

"Police officers and jawans posted at various 'nakas' are providing all possible help to the people especially to the poor, homeless, needy and sick ones," he said in a statement.

Some of the migrants, however, said they were facing problems in the shelters.

Many migrant workers, most of them daily wagers, said they did not have money or work and their contractors did not pay them after the 21-day countrywide lockdown was announced on March 24.

Haryana government had started enforcing a lockdown in the state before March 24.

Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora said a list of migrant workers and labourers from UP, Bihar and Odisha has been shared with deputy commissioners and they would pursuade them to move into the shelters.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ordered the deputy commissioners to completely seal the inter and intra-state borders, after a large number of migrant workers started walking down from Panipat, Gurugram and Faridabad to towards Delhi on their way home in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Virk said industrialists and factory owners have been advised to extend help to their workers.

During the lockdown, only essential and emergency services are allowed; cargo movement has also been allowed on state and national highways.

So far 610 FIRs have been registered in connection with violation of the lockdown, 745 persons arrested and 3,407 vehicles impounded.