Jubilee Post News & Views
Abhigyan Shekhar
The union government has suspended two IAS officials for their failure to manage lockdown correctly. Two more names are awaiting action. Though the orders do not mention clearly the reason but it is estimated the movement of labours from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh and the gathering of lakhs of them on March 27 and 28 at Anand Vihar Bus Station is the reason.
This crowd did not pay heed to social distancing or any kind of violation of the lockdown was in their minds. The crowd was in a mad-rush to reach home at the first chance and the only thing on their mouth was ‘have to die then be it hunger, tiredness or coronavirus.’
The action of the central government has its base in the FIR lodged by the Delhi police that stated that 44 buses left the bus terminal with passengers during lockdown and when asked the drivers said they have directives from the top bosses.
Cops lodged FIR to save their skin and also noted bus numbers. If this saved Delhi police it got stuck in the neck of Delhi officials and the ball of ‘lockdown violation’ is in the court of Delhi government and not with UP or the central government.
But the question is different here. How come such a large crowd came to one place during lockdown and is the Delhi administration relay responsible for it. If the labours were locked inside their homes for five days how could they get the idea of going back to their native villages and why they became restless.
Before you get the chronology of the events first known the geography where the Anand Vihar bus terminal and railway station are located. Both are located adjacent and even share boundary. People going to Delhi know Anand Vihar bus terminal is in Delhi for name sake but is surrounded by Noida, Gaziabad and passengers come here from these two places only. Majority are labours from UP and Bihar.
That is why Anand Vihar terminal is know for people from eastern India who go to Delhi for work but actually get job in Noida and Gaziabad. majority construction work goes on in these two districts only. These labours live in colonies in Noida to Khoda Colony in Gaziabad.
So the entire crowd was not from Delhi and also adults, youth, woman and children were simply not walking for a religious destination walking thousands of miles together in large number. All was about a hope to reach home.
How this hope came?
You will get the answer to this question on Bulandshahr border. people from Dlehi-NCR were walking towards UP but were not in crowd but instead of asking them about their destination the policemen gave food packets. SSP Santosh Kumar was on the spot then. TV crews were also called there and Santosh Kumar gave statement that people from Delhi-NCR are coming and we are giving them food. he went on to say that he was arranging vehicles for them to go forward.
But Santosh Singh was silent on the question that who gave him orders to do so. Channels presented this news as a human face of the police. The other face of the police that was banging sticks upon people during the lockdown. BJP’s media army was presenting this beating up of people by cops as medicine. And said it was necessary to protect people. Though on the social media questions were raised why bashing up of people being done by police in India when no such action is there is other countries having lockdown.
Lets now turn towards the state capital. What really made the chief minister Yogi Adityanath change his mind whether a TV footage or something else, he gave statement that he had directed officials to take care of people going home and also arrange for their transport.
News of 1000 buses being put to work came. And also that buses will move from Lalkuan in Gaziabad. The order of the DM Gaziabad went viral on social media. All these news spread in Delhi-NCR like a wild fire.
Lamberdar Yadav, who lives in a village in Noida told that labours from eastern Uttar Pradesh were following lockdown with fear in his village. There were apprehensions but there was not hope to return back to village. Though in areas adjacent to Noida-Gaziabad such as Hapur, Khurja, Meerut, Bulandshahr people were moving back with a risk which was easier comparatively.
They had hope to get some vehicle on the way but after statement by Yogi moving back home became a common target for thousands of people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and they packed their bags. By the evening of March 27 that became uncontrollable in shape of crowd by March 28 evening at the Anand Vihar bus terminal foot-over bridge.
central and Uttar Pradesh government were stunned for a while to see such a violation of the lockdown and then suddenly the BJP IT/media cell became active. they started giving twist to the episode towards Delhi and Kejriwal government.
Instead of retrospection the muck was being spilled upon Delhi government. Attempt was also done to defame those labours who were actually stuck up in the entire episode.What si there problem, what is their psychosis and why are they in panic? Instead of getting answers to these questions people like former journalists Balbir Punj started on party lines and said labours want to go home on vacations.
It is obvious that something which is not being talked about the the government was not able to understand the implications of the lockdown. The daily wage labours and their worries were not in the list. At 8 pm the prime minister came on TV….and the old currency went for a toss from 12 pm.
The biggest proof of a unplanned demonetization was long queue at the ATMs that were not calibrated with Rs 2000 and Rs 500 currency notes When officials said banks to do it the officials said it wasn’t easy to do. It will take time. As a result despite printing the currency wads came late to the ATMs and by then several poor had lost their lives outside banks.
This is what was seen in coronavirus lockdown. We brought home the non-resident Indians from foreign land but forgot the non-residents in our own home. When the thought came there was no way but to violate the lockdown.
