Mumbai's Bandra, Gujarat's Surat like crowds can negate India's efforts to defeat coronavirus

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (April 14) announced to extends lockdown in the country till May 3, to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic, but hours after that a large number of migrant workers gathered in Mumbai's suburban Bandra (West) bus depot near the railway station in the afternoon, demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places.

Thousands of people are said to be labourers from other states, assembled at Bandra (West) bus depot on the last day of the 21-day lockdown to go to their native cities and villages. The question arises how as to so many people assembled at Bandra railway station when the whole country is aware that no train services are running during the lockdown. 

The Prime Minister's announcement was made 10 o'clock in the morning to extend the lockdown till May 3, but after six hours, thousands gathered in a city like Mumbai. Notably, the highest number of coronavirus cases are in Maharashtra, and Mumbai has already lost over 100 lives due to coronavirus and is among COVID-19 hotspot. 

When pictures of the crowd at Bandra railway station were seen everywhere, the Mumbai Police resorted to taking action against these people and the station was cleared after lathicharge.

Although Bandra railway station has now been evacuated, political statements started coming in. In a series of tweets, Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray said the situation in Bandra is a result of the central government is unable to take a call on arranging a way back home from the migrant labourers.

Thackeray said, "They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," adding that a mutual roadmap drawn up with the Union government will help migrant labourers travel from one state to another during the lockdown and reach their homes.

Thackeray said feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar - that they want to go back to their native places. "Many are refusing to eat or stay in these camps," he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over gathering in Bandra. He said that such events would weaken the country's fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Amit Shah said the state administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents, while offering his full support to the Maharashtra government. 

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also told people that they need not panic, as the state government is doing its best to solve their problems.

Most of these people, who reached Bandra station today, were labourers and poor people. They should understand that their one mistake can hit the whole country. 

This is the first time in the history of Indian Railways that its services are closed all over the country. Railways is bearing a loss of Rs 2500 crore every day. During the last 40 days, it has already lost revenue of Rs one lakh crore, but this being done to save the lives of the people of this country. 

One infected person in a Railway compartment can infect the whole train. This infected person can affect people at the station. He can further infect people at the bus stop, and then his family as well as his entire village.

Currently, the Disaster Management Act has been promulgated in the country. Under this Act, non-compliance of the government orders is considered a serious offence and for this violation, one can face a punishment of one-year imprisonment. 

The question arises who misled these people to assemble at the Bandra railway station. Zee News has received a video of one Vinay Dubey from Mumbai. Dubey, who describes him as the leader of labourers in Mumbai, openly threatens the government and provokes migrant workers not to sit in their houses but to gather at the Bandra Railways station to stage a dharna.

Reports coming in say that Vinay Dubey was later in the evening arrested for provoking migrant workers to assemble.

Similar pictures of lockdown violations are also reported from Surat in Gujarat where hundreds of people were seen sitting on the streets to go to their homes. Surat is known for the business of Diamond and cloth industry where a large number of workers from different parts of the country live.