MSRTC runs 545 buses to state borders

NASHIK: The Nashik division of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has deployed 545 buses to state borders from Nashik since Saturday, including Chhattisgarh, to ensure that migrant workers reach home.


With the relaxation in lockdown rules since May 9, the MSRTC had launched an operation to provide relief to migrant workers who were stranded due to the nationwide lockdown and had decided to walk their path home.

The MSRTC began transporting people from the city and some parts of the district to their respective destinations. They also picked up people who walked all the way from Thane and Mumbai towards Nashik city and dropped them off at their respective destinations.

The migrant workers have been facing a lot of challenges lately as they were out of work due to the outbreak of Covid-19 followed by the nationwide lockdown. Also, some of them did not get proper food and shelter, forcing them to start walking to towards their hometowns.

The buses left from various places of district including Pimpalgaon, Sinnar, Trimbakeshwar, Dwarka point in Nashik city, Malegaon, Chandwad, Sinnar.

“While maximum buses were headed towards Madhya Pradesh border near Dhule (Shirpur border, some buses were sent to Jalgaon (Faizpur border), Nagpur (Savner border) all for Madhya Pradesh and Gondia district for Chhattisgarh border,” MSRTC officials said.

The MSRTC has been transporting migrant workers free of cost. It was only after the workers started moving on their own, including walking village to village and city to city, that tee state government announced measures to ease their travel and ensure that they reach their respective destinations without any issues.

“We have been transporting migrant workers while maintaining social distancing from Saturday night. Every bus has 22 seats only and hand sanitisers and other aids have also been made available to travellers as well as drivers so that the transmission of Covid-19 infection is cut down to minimum,” an MSRTC official said.