National Conference MP from Anantnag Hasnain Masoodi on Saturday expressed anguish at the apathy and indifference shown by J&K administration towards the plight of labourers, tradesmen and students stranded in different states of the country.
In a statement, Masoodi said J&K administration wasunmindful of the fact that most of the labourers stuck in Hamirpur, Kangra,Bilaspur, Unna, Shimla, Solan and other places were not living in flats andapartments but in tents, and 40 to 50 people were huddled together in eachtent, without basic facilities.
He said while laborers because of lack of resources werecompelled to live in tents in winter, with discomfort, it was now becomingincreasingly unbearable and even impossible for them to live in such conditionin soaring temperatures.
“The rented accommodation wherever in use in majorcities lack minimum facilities like electric fans necessary to beat thescorching summer heat. The guidelines of social distancing in such livingconditions are also largely compromised, risking precious lives. The strandedlaborers are not provided sufficient ration and in some cases ration is notsupplied at all, forcing them to purchase it at exorbitant prices and even facestarvation,” Masoodi said.
While welcoming efforts of central government on evacuatingstranded students from Amritsar, Masoodi said the measure has brought muchrelief to their families and the stranded students as well.
Masoodi expressed dismay over lack of a clear-cut plan toevacuate stranded students from Chandigarh, Delhi, Kota, Jodhpur, Agra,Aligarh, Indore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and other places and thestudents stuck outside the country in Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan.
He asked the administration to take a clue from mechanismemployed by Gujarat and UP governments, making use of hundreds of buses andcoaches to evacuate the pilgrims and students notwithstanding lockdown, fromUttarakhand and Rajasthan.