The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee has said it will foot the bill for bringing migrant workers back home. The second batch of 20 Manipuris stranded in Guwahati reached Imphal on Tuesday. They are residents of the Thangmeiband Assembly constituency in Imphal.
Some of the workers said they had been brought without paying any fare. Officials checked their health at the first point in the Senapati district bordering Nagaland. Though they were found to be COVID-19 negative, they were lodged in the government quarantine centres.
The 87 persons brought here from Guwahati in the first batch are yet to complete the 14-day mandatory quarantine norm. Some of them said they paid ₹3,000 as travel expenses.
Former Chief Minister and now CLP leader Okram Ibobi said as directed by their president Sonia Gandhi, the party will foot the travel bill. Helplines have been opened in several districts through which they could contact the party leaders.
Mr. Ibobi said the lack of a firm policy by the government has caused confusion among the people. It is not clear whether the government will bear the expenses for transportation and lodging for 14 days in the quarantine centres or not.
Officials said there are about 50,000 Manipuris working or studying in other States and most of them are planning to return home now.
Tuesday is the second day of relaxing the curfew and lockdown in the State from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The police collected ₹67,000 as fine from private drivers for violation of the guidelines. In the last 40 days, the police collected ₹24 lakh as fines.
