Bhubaneswar: More than 360 Odia migrants, who were stranded in Jammu, were brought to Odisha in a special flight on the intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
After the lockdown was imposed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Odia migrants, mostly comprising labourers, found themselves in a spot in Jammu. While their income stopped, they could not return home in the absence of transport facilities, according to a TNN report.
They faced a tough time in arranging food and shelter during the three months of lockdown until the Odisha government intervened.
Lending a helping hand to stuck up migrant labourers, the government decided to airlift them in an Air India flight from Jammu to Odisha. The total expenditure of their air tickets and other arrangements was borne by the state government.
Tahir Ahmad, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu said, “The flight has been sponsored by the Odisha government while we have provided state road transport buses to carry the labourers to the airport.”
Also Read: India Surpasses Spain To Become Fifth Worst Affected By COVID-19, Total 2.46 Lakh
