Bid to stop movement Chief secretaries of all the states were asked to initiate measures to stop movement of people

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, 30.03.20, Calcutta: Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha issued an order on Sunday asking all district magistrates to ensure temporary shelter and food for poor and migrant workers stranded in the state during the lockdown so that they didn’t move to other places.

“Adequate arrangements of temporary shelters and provision of food shall be made by the district administration for the poor and needy people, including migrant workers stranded due to lockdown measures in their respective areas,” reads the order issued by the chief secretary.

Sources said the order was issued after Sinha had a video conference with the cabinet secretary and the Union home secretary on Sunday morning. Chief secretaries of all the states were asked to initiate measures to stop movement of people from one place to another during the lockdown.

“The Centre was worried over the way migrant labourers were returning to their states even by walking during the lockdown. The Centre made it clear that no Delhi-like exodus of workers should take place anywhere in the country,” said an official.

Sinha made it clear in his order that if anybody had managed to enter the state despite the lockdown across the country, they should be quarantined at government facilities for 14 days. Also, the migrant people and the foreign returnees, who are under home or institutional quarantine, should be put under strict surveillance and daily monitoring.

The sources said the measures had been initiated after reports were coming in that many of those who were advised home quarantine for 14 days were violating the protocol regularly. The chief secretary made it clear if anybody violated the home quarantine protocol, they should be taken to government facilities and put in quarantine for 14 days.