Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, May 4: National Conference (NC) leader and district president, Ramban, Sajjad Shaheen has expressed deep concern over the worsening miseries of the stranded laborers and students stuck in different parts of the country amid Coronavirus pandemic due to lack of coordination between the stranded persons and the concerned JK Nodal authorities.
“Most of the stranded persons complain that the official helplines in J&K remain non-functional most of the time and it is adding to the frustration and despair amongst the affected work force and deep sense of outrage and disappointment amongst their family members desperately awaiting the arrival of their next of kins,” the NC leader said.
Shaheen said that the stranded laborers and students are in a state of despair as about a week has passed since MHA issued guidelines and SOP regarding the movement of stranded persons but no one in the administration is interested to act seriously. “I have been receiving calls from the stranded laborers and their families especially hailing from district Ramban who complain about the “ambiguity” in the evacuation process and the defunct helpline numbers,” he added.
“Most of the states lifted almost 70 percent of their stranded people through different modes of transport. Even some states managed to get special trains. But things are different in case of J&K. The administration is buying time just to add more miseries for these stranded persons,” the NC leader said.
Shaheen also questioned the efficacy of the Government’s decision to seek online registration of the stranded laborers, considering that most of the migrant workers are illiterate and would thus be unable the access the online forms. Besides, all the internet cafes across the country are yet to be opened.
He has appealed to the Central and the J&K Government to provide hassle free liasioning to the stranded persons and facilitate their safe return to their native places by making provision of train and bus facility for labourers.
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