SHILLONG: The state government is contemplating to arrange special trains and flights to bring back citizens of Meghalaya who are stranded in different parts of the country due to the lockdown saying the option of sending buses for them is not feasible at all.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, after a review meeting on Thursday, told reporters discussions on arranging trains and flights to bring back the stranded are on. “We will have to wait and see if such arrangements can be made”, Sangma said.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that it would be a Herculean task to bring back those who are stranded outside the region unless air and train services resume. “We can’t send buses all the way to Delhi. This option is not feasible at all”, Tynsong told reporters separately.
The chief minister said while the government is concerned about those stranded outside the state it is also weighing matters pertaining to the logistics and health issues associated with the movement especially from the red zones across the country.
“It is not easy for them. We are doing our best to ensure that the state and our people are protected. We don’t want to take any health risk in the state. We need to follow all protocols”, Sangma said.
To a question if the government is looking at the option of mass quarantine of the stranded, he said it wouldn’t be a proper move from the medical perspective.
“It is always safe to go for home quarantine. If there are people showing symptoms then we will put them in the isolation wards or corona centres. We will allow those who are asymptomatic to go home. But all their family members will have to go for home quarantine for 14 days. Home quarantine is the best option since the number is too big for the government to provide isolation facility to everyone”, he said.
Tynsong said that there are close to 2500 people from the state stranded in various parts of North East.
“We have asked them to register so that we can have the exact number of those who want to come back. We will start the process immediately once we have the final list”, Tynsong told reporters.
A statement, meanwhile, said for citizens stranded in states outside the North East, the registration process will be announced as soon as confirmation is received from the Centre about resumption or arrangement of air/rail travel services. It also stated that Registration is mandatory. It also stated that registration is mandatory.
It also said the state government has sent details of 7,891 verified applicants out of 10,287 persons registered for CM’s Special Grant for stranded people to the banks for disbursement and the remaining would be sent.
Tynsong said those who return will have to be under home quarantine for a minimum of 14 days once they land in their villages and localities. The state-wise break up of such stranded students and those working in private companies are: Karnataka (2719), Assam (2104), Tamil Nadu (1164), Maharashtra (685), West Bengal (642), Delhi (531), Telangana (357), Kerala (254), Rajasthan (201), Gujarat (194), Uttar Pradesh (194), Andhra Pradesh (175), Uttarakhand (164), Haryana (120), Bihar (101), Goa (101), Arunachal Pradesh (94), Manipur (81), Madhya Pradesh (78), Punjab (58), Nagaland (56), Pondicherry (51), Mizoram (40), Tripura (35), Odisha (21), Sikkim (19), Himachal Pradesh (16), Jharkhand (15), Chandigarh (7), Chhattisgarh (7), Andaman and Nicobar Island (4).
