KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged the Centre to provide Rs 10,000 each to home-bound migrants in one-time assistance from the PM CARES Fund.
Regarding the accusations that the Bengal government was not allowing migrants to enter the state, she said that already 6.5 lakh workers had reached while another 4 lakh would land by June 10. “Had we not allowed the migrants, how could lakhs of people return to their homes? A section of outsiders is spreading this false news to anger the migrants,’’ she said.
Mamata claimed Bengal is the only state which is paying the railways for bringing its people. “We have already paid Rs 12 crore as train fare for migrants. Additional Rs 13 crore will be paid to railway authorities. Rs 15 crore have already been paid to bring back 2.5 lakh migrants by road.’’The eastern state has received 160 trains till date and additional 75 trains will arrive the state within June 10.
The government is spending Rs 3 crore per day to run the quarantine centres across the state, Mamata said. “In the states where the migrants were stranded, no arrangement was made to ensure food and treatment for them. But we not only secured food and treatment for those who came here from other states to work as labourers, but also arranged transports for their return to their home states.’’
Later, the Bengal BJP reacted to the statement thought the CM did not mention its name. “The BJP has not angered the migrants. But the state government’s reckless attitude angered them and it will be understood at an appropriate period,’’ said BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha.
Meanwhile, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said he spoke to Mamata for resolving the controversy over the appointment of two persons as the pro-VC of Burdwan University, “I have urged her that she should take a call at her level,” he said.