SHILLONG: The Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) has written to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informing him about the problems faced by students and working people outside the state.
According to information collected by JSU, those who are stranded want to come back to Meghalaya before the second wave of COVID-19 hits the country and they are running out of cash as organisations are not providing them basic necessities.
Some of them are forced to resign as companies are unable to pay salary and some are stranded in metro cities while they were in search for a job when the lockdown was implemented. Some stranded residents are being forced to leave their accommodation as they are unable to pay rent.
“Another problem is that our state government is giving a green signal for people who are willing to pick up their family members from different locations in the country. The state government said this is at the residents’ expense but what we can see is not at their own expense but at their own risks,” the union said.
In this connection, the union questioned the state government about Meghalaya citizens who are not being able to arrange transportation.
They further questioned the government on whether it can assure the safety of family members who travel a long distance during this lockdown and expressed concern as to how many persons are well-acquainted with the route to reach the desired location.
JSU said by allowing residents to pick up stranded citizens, it means that the whole family will have to be in quarantined for two weeks or more and that the state government will have to provide them with basic requirements.
The union stated that if the government arranged buses to pick up stranded citizens and put them in quarantine centres instead of sending them home, it will save the state’s expenditure to a great extent. It will also be a relief to government employees who are worried about having their salaries deferred, the union added.
The union suggested that the best solution for the state government is to arrange other modes of transportation like buses, railway or airways.
The union mentioned that many lives will be at stake if the government allows residents of the state to make their own travel arrangements.
