Migrant workers stranded in Navi Mumbai as police refuse to accept forms

The Panvel city police on Thursday refused to accept new forms from migrant workers, leaving hundreds of workers confused and stranded.

“Several people have gathered across police stations to go back home but the Uttar Pradesh government has still not given consent for trains from Maharashtra to enter the state,” said Ashok Dudhe, deputy commissioner of police, zone 2. The police also claimed that there is no confirmation from the West Bengal and Bihar governments also, owing to which the police cannot accept new forms for migrants to return.

Several workers waited outside Panvel police station for two hours only to be sent to the municipal corporation office.

Satyendra Saha, 46, is a native of Bihar, employed at a steel plant in Pen. To return home, he underwent a medical test but after walking through the night for more than eight hours from Pen, he was told by Panvel police that there are no trains to Bihar.

“The police are threatening to hit us. What do we do? We got the medical test done and have been running around for the last two days. We will die like this even before contracting coronavirus,” said Saha.

Even at the corporation office, their forms were not accepted.

“The civic officials sent us back to the police. They are making us run from pillar to post and not telling us clearly what we need to do,” said Manju Roy, who is struggling to get a form to go to Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the police has green-flagged the journey of migrants from Odisha. “On Friday, a train to Odisha will depart with 1,200 passengers for which migrants can submit forms,” said Dudhe.