Amid lockdown-like curfew in Maharashtra, exodus of migrant workers begins in state

Mumbai: A day after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government announced the imposition of a 15-day long lockdown-style curfew in the state to break the chain of coronavirus, panic-stricken migrant workers have started returning to their native places out of fear.

The migrant workers can be seen leaving for their home states at key transit points in the city including, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai.

Shivam Pandey, who hails from Uttar Pradesh`s Varanasi was quoted as telling ANI that they do not want to go through the pain they endured during the lockdown last year.

Maharashtra: Migrant workers in Mumbai were seen returning to their native places.

"Now that curfew has been imposed, what would we do here? What would we eat? We're leaving the city because we don't want to go through the pain we endured during the lockdown," says a labourer. pic.twitter.com/IxraZoNS1j

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2021

"Now that curfew has been imposed, what would we do here? What would we eat? We are leaving the city because we do not want to go through the pain we endured during the lockdown," he said.

The country had last year witnessed a major movement of migrant labourers and workers after the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in the last week of March. The nationwide lockdown resulted in an exodus of migrant workers from cities to their native places.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Tuesday announced a series of strict restrictions in the state till May 1, including the imposition of Section 144 from Wednesday in view of rising COVID-19 cases.

He, however, said he will not term the new restrictions as "lockdown". Under the new guidelines, all establishments, public places, activities will remain closed in the state. 

Only essential services will be exempted, and their operations to be unrestricted. The guidelines said that cinema halls, theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, gyms, sports complexes will remain closed till Section 144 is imposed in the state.

Shooting for films, serial, ads will remain suspended in Maharashtra from 8 pm, April 14 till 7 am May 1. All shops, malls, shopping centres not performing essential services will also remain closed during this time.

Maharashtra had reported 60,212 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Mumbai reported 7,898 new cases and 26 deaths in the last 24 hours, while Nagpur district reported 6826 new COVID19 cases, 3518 recoveries, and 65 deaths, on Tuesday.