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Migrants reach Patna

Patna/New Delhi :Would they be allowed to enter with slippers? What would happen when the plane takes off? Would they be safe? The questions raced through the minds of 10 migrants on Thursday as they readied to fly home from New Delhi to Bihar, an unforgettable first flight made possible by the generosity of their employer, a farmer in the national capital.


Getting through airport formalities was intimidating but they had help from an official who guided them till the plane. Excited, nervous and a little panicky as they settled in their seats, many closed their eyes as the plane taxied and then tilted sharply at take-off, Naveen Ram, among the 10 workers taking their debut flight, told after landing in Patna.


All 10 farm workers, stuck in Delhi because of the coronavirus forced lockdown, belong to Samastipur in Bihar. They had never dreamed they would get on a plane but they did thanks to Pappan Singh, a mushroom farmer in Delhi's Tigipur village, who bought their tickets.


Full of praise for their employer, who saw them off in Delhi saying that he looked forward to their return, the group left for Samastipur district from Patna airport in a vehicle arranged by their employer.

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