The Mumbai-Agra highway passingthrough Nashik in Maharashtra witnessed a traffic jam early Sunday morning like in the days before the coronavirus-induced lockdown as hundreds of stranded people tried to make their way back to their native regions in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.Eye-witnesses said people were either stuffed to the brim in private vehicles or were seen hailing passing vehicles to hitch rides, many of those on the roads not wearing masks and some too close to each other in violation of social distancing norms in place for the virus outbreak.Similar scenes, including people walking in groups and cycling, were also witnessed on Nashik-Pune, Nashik-Aurangabad highways, they said.Several videos of the movement of migrants on these highways were circulated on social media as well.While the Centre and states have been running Shramik Special trains to get stranded migrants back to their native towns and villages, the sheer numbers are overwhelming, agree officials, and many of them are preferring to take the unofficial route of private and public transport vehicles to leave.
