Kakinada: 3,000 migrant workers quarantined in East Godavari district

Kakinada: Migrant labourers from different districts in the state as well as from other states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgadh were stranded in East Godavari district following lockdown. Many migrant labourers with babies and children were detained at various places in the district while they were going to their native places.

Recently, 103 migrant labourers were caught at Tuni. Many people belonging to north Andhra districts, who had gone to Chittoor, Prakasam, Nellore and other districts for work started travelling to their native places after the lockdown.

The police department on Monday conducted a raid on a lodge near Satyagowri here and took 23 shipping workers into custody. Later, the workers were shifted to a quarantine centre.

According to the police, the shipping workers, who work on a barge, reached Kakinada on April 18. Acting on a tip off, the police conducted the raid. The health officials shifted the workers to quarantine centres.

They said that the workers would be tested for Covid-19 and would be released only after completion of quarantine period. Nearly 4,000 migrant workers were stranded in the district. They had crossed the district boarders by walk or other sources.

District Medical and Health Officer Dr B Satyasuseela said that there are nearly 3,000 migrant workers in quarantine centres at different places in the district.

She said that they would conduct the Covid-19 tests to migrant workers. They have to complete quarantine time for 14 days and then only they would be permitted to go to their houses. Annavaram Temple Executive Officer Vendra Trinatha Rao said that 341 migrant workers were kept in Lord Satyadeva temple's rooms.

He said that the revenue department was providing food and other facilities to the people at the quarantine centres. Meanwhile, the activists of CITU, IFTU and AITUC staged a dharna at Collectrate here on Tuesday, protesting against non-provision of facilities to the inmates of quarantine centres.