Arrange trains to bring back migrants, Ludhiana traders urge PM

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 22

The Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertaking (CICU) has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make transportation arrangements to bring migrant labourers back here.

In a letter to the PM, Upkar Singh, president, and Pankaj Sharma, general secretary of CICU, have said during the lockdown, migrants travelled back to their villagers, but no arrangements have now been made to bring them back in Unlock 1.0.

"Labourers are willing to come back but the only hurdle is transportation. They are facing trouble at their native places and calling the firms they had left in the lockdown to call them back, as they have no money left to meet their daily expenses. We also want the labour to come back as production at many units has dipped to 40 per cent due to manpower shortage," said Upkar Singh.

During his last visit to the city, Punjab Industry Minister Sunder Sham Arora had also said that the state government had requested the Centre to run special trains to bring workers back to restart industrial production. However, nothing has moved since then, allege local industrialists.

Ram Sahay, a worker from Bihar, said two of his fellow workers wished to come back but due to the lack of money, they are not able to reach here. The employers maintain that they can provide advance only when labour reports at the factory units and they cannot send money to their villages.