Coronavirus Outbreak: Migrants take to streets in Surat, Mumbai as lockdown extended till 3 May; 1,463 new cases, 29 deaths in 24 hours
At both places, migrants gathered in large numbers in public, leading to fears of transmission of the novel coronavirus even as the country registered a record single day increase of 1,463 cases.
In Surat, hundreds of migrant workers gathered in the Varachha area, demanding that they be sent to their native places despite the lockdown. In Mumbai, a large number of migrant workers who earn daily wages came out on the road near the Bandra railway station demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the three-week nationwide lockdown for another 19 days till 3 May. Modi indicated easing some curbs after 20 April in areas which are not hotspots to allow some “select necessary activities”.
The country reported 1,463 fresh cases, a new record in single day increase of infections, taking the total number of infections to 10,815. The toll from the virus currently stood at 353, it said.
Migrant labourers gather on streets in Surat, Mumbai
A large group of migrant labourers gathered in Bandra, demanding permission to return to their native states.
According to reports, heavy police deployment was seen in the area and the police resorted to lathicharge in order to disperse the gathering.
The migrants originally hail from states like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
One of the labourers, who did not reveal his name, said that NGOs and local residents are providing food to migrant workers, but they want to go back to their native states during the lockdown which has badly affected their source of livelihood.
“Now, we don’t want food, we want to go back to our native place. We are not happy with the announcement (extending the lockdown),” he said, looking dejected.
Asadullah Sheikh, who hails from from Malda in West Bengal, said, “We have already spent our savings during the first phase of the lockdown. We have nothing to eat now. We just want to go back to our native place. The government should make arrangements for us.”
Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their life a constant struggle.
An FIR has been registered in this regard against about 1,000 migrant workers, but no arrests have been made yet and the workers are being identified, a police official said.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray appealed to migrant workers in the state to stay put and take up the challenge against the coronavirus, while also seeking to assure them that “lockdown” was not a “lock-up”.
“Today what happened in Bandra was unfortunate. It might have happened because they thought that trains will start from 14 April, and so they would be able to go back to their villages,” he said.
Stating that the highest number of coronavirus tests have probably been carried out in the state, Thackeray said between 20,00-22,000 tests have been carried out in Mumbai alone and between 10,000 to 15,000 tests have been carried out in the rest of the state till Tuesday morning.
Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that a probe has been ordered to find out who spread the rumour about train services resuming to take migrants home.
The migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of the city and sat on a road demanding that they be allowed to go to their native places, police said.
Varachha is the diamond polishing hub of Surat, giving employment to lakhs of workers from different parts of Gujarat and the country. Many textile units are also located here.
“These migrant workers want to go to their native places. We have asked them not to be impatient because a lockdown is in force at present.
“Since some of them were complaining about food, we have called an NGO and immediately brought food packets for them. The situation is now under control,” a police officer at the spot told reporters.
This was the second incident of migrant workers gathering on the streets in a week.
Migrant workers had staged violent protests in Surat on Friday, demanding that they be sent to native places despite lockdown.
Modi announces extension of lockdown till 3 May
Modi has announced the extension of the three-week nationwide lockdown for another 19 days to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister acknowledged that the lockdown has come at a huge economic cost and also inflicted pain on the people, especially the poor, calling them “disciplined soldiers”.
Modi, however, asserted that India has chosen the correct path, and has managed to avert to a large extent the damage caused by the pandemic in many countries.
The prime minister’s announcement on lockdown extension came at a time when India has recorded a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in the last one week ever since Kerala reported the country’s first coronavirus infection on 30 January.
The third and final week of the lockdown saw a jump of 5,574 cases and 215 deaths, an analysis of official data showed.
According to the latest health ministry data, there has been a record single day increase of 1,463 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total number of infections to 10,815. The toll from the virus currently stood at 353, it said.
A PTI tally compiled from states showed there were 11,312 cases with 389 deaths. The tally also showed that 211 of the 386 coronavirus patients in Kerala had recovered. There were two deaths in the state.
In his fourth address to the nation in the last one month on the coronavirus pandemic, Modi also announced that extensive guidelines for the second phase of the lockdown will be issued on Wednesday, declaring that his biggest priority is to save lives and minimise the hardships being faced by daily wagers and farmers.
During his 25-minute address, Modi also asked people to follow ‘saptapadi‘ (seven steps) in the coming days to help the government in its fight against coronavirus. The seven steps included taking care of the elderly people, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor.
Ten states — Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Mizoram — and the Union Territory of Puducherry have already extended the lockdown till 30 April. Union government sources pointed out that the restrictions have been extended till 3 May as 1 May is a public holiday followed by the 2-3 May weekend.
IMF pegs India’s growth at 1.9 percent in 2020-21
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected the growth of Indian economy in 2020 at the rate of 1.9 per cent, while the world economy is likely to contract sharply by “minus 3 percent” due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is proving worse than the 2008-09 financial crisis.
The IMF, in its yearly World Economic Outlook, gave a grim picture of the world economy amid global lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has jolted the world by claiming over one lakh lives globally.
The IMF has, however, given a bullish projection about India’s economic growth in 2021, pegging the growth rate at 7.4 percent.
Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist and Director of the research department at IMF said in her opening remarks, “The COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting high and rising human costs worldwide. Protecting lives and allowing health care systems to cope have required isolation, lockdowns, and widespread closures to slow the spread of the virus.”
“The health crisis is, therefore, having a severe impact on economic activity. As a result of the pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract sharply by minus 3 percent in 2020, much worse than during the 2008-09 financial crisis,” said Gopinath.
As for China, the economy has been projected to grow at 1.2 percent and projected growth of 9.2 per cent in 2021.
