PATNA: Desperation is running so high among the migrant labourers returning to their homes that they don't care to follow any social distancing norms. Hundreds are seen each day on the roads of Bihar trying to make space for themselves in the overcrowded vehicles to reach homes and thus avoid police detention followed by institutional quarantine.
Surprisingly, the police force in most places looks the other way whenever a truck or bus overcrowded with migrants are in sight.
On Monday morning, hundreds of migrant-labourers were seen moving towards Khagaria side by trucks without being intercepted for flouting the social distancing.
"Our life is now in the hands of God, then why should be scared of anything? We are travelling to our homes where either we will die or find some work. But we'll never return to other states", Naresh Kumar, riding in a truck at new bypass at Patna said.
Desperation among them to reach homes has increased to such an extent that 99 migrant-labourers halted a Sharmik Special train at Ara on Sunday and attempted to escape. But the alert railway cops escorting the train caught and brought them back.
This was not an isolated instance of growing frustration among migrants culminating into escape attempts to avoid the mandatory quarantine.
In many districts, migrant workers have reportedly escaped in recent times including Buxar, Katihar and Banka districts.
Later, they were traced and brought back to the quarantine centres by police but what has sent the entire police administration into a tizzy now is the migrant workers resorting to nuisances and protests apart from attempting to escape from detention.
Taking serious note of such incidents, the state Disaster Management Department has passed a circular that the travel costs and the additional financial assistance announced by CM Nitish Kumar would be reimbursed to only those migrants who complete the entire quarantine period.
"The Disaster Management Department is making all arrangements at quarantine centres and providing clothes, utensils and all other things for free - allowing them to take to their homes on being discharged. They are made to practices yoga and most of them are getting benefited by such heathy activities except few incidents of escapism", Pratyay Amrit, principal secretary of the Disaster Management Department claimed.
On Monday, thousands of migrant workers returned by Sharmik trains from other states but they didn't follow social distancing at all. They were seen being going in a crowded way by buses to their concerned districts.