When getting back home utilising the public transport services remain a far-fetched dream, stranded migrant workers helplessly resorted to other possible ways where most of them opted to walk back to the native lands.
Migrant worker buys car to get home
Lallan, a painter in the NCR city Ghaziabad did not wish to waste any more hopeless days in wait of the Shramik train service to Gorakhpur that he decided to withdraw all his savings of Rs 1.9 lakh from the bank after three days of futile anticipation of boarding the train and bought a second-hand car to take his family back home.
Lallan, along with his family waited near a railway station in Ghaziabad for three days for his turn to get on to a Shramik special train. On the fourth day, he decided to get a used car as travelling by bus would be further difficult with overcrowded people in it.
He bought a used car for all his life's savings worth Rs 1.5 lakh, and travelled along with his family back to Gorakhpur, vowing never to return.
Lallan lives in Gorakhpur's Kaitholia village in PP Ganj said, "After the lockdown, I stayed on hoping that things would soon return to normal. When the lockdown kept getting extended, I thought it would be safer for me and my family to return to our village. However, we made several attempts to get seats on buses or trains but failed."
Overcrowded bus posed threat
Most of these stranded workers who could not afford the train services opted to travel in buses which soon turned overcrowded with people. This added up Lallan's worries as his family may get easily infected with the coronavirus if they travelled without maintaining social distancing in it and ended up in buying the car.
"Finally, when I failed to get seats in the Shramik trains, I decided to buy a car and travel home. I know I have spent all my savings but at least my family is safe," says Lallan who left Ghaziabad in his car on May 29. He reached Gorakhpur on the following day after a 14-hour journey.
He has decided not to return to Ghaziabad and hopefully looks on to find a job in his place after his period of home quarantining.
