Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed the state officials that no migrant labourer should walk back home in Uttar Pradesh from big cities like Delhi amidst the lockdown imposed to curb Coronavirus.

A statement from Chief Minister’s office said that the state government “has been actively engaged in bringing the migrants back safely”.

The directive comes in the wake of migrant labourers including women and children undertaking epic journeys to reach home — walking, cycling and hitching rides when they could — in the absence of any public transport, from the outskirts of many cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

There have been several reports of workers desperate to be with their families in the uncertain days of a pandemic but dying before they reached their destination.

In one such desperate attempt, 18 people were found travelling in the mixer tank of a concrete mixer truck, by police in Indore, Madhya Pradesh last week. They were travelling from Maharashtra to Lucknow.

“The Chief Minister has issued categorical directions to the officials to ensure that no migrant labour returns to the state while travelling on foot. He assured that the state government has been actively engaged in bringing them back safely,” a statement issued by the CMO read.

Following the orders, around 172 workers trying to walk home from Delhi and Noida were stopped by the UP Police on a highway in west UP’s Bulandshahr, about 514 km from state capital Lucknow on Thursday evening.

The Uttar Pradesh government had in the last week of April begun the process of bringing back migrant workers stranded in different parts of the country, who completed 14 days of quarantine.

Meanwhile, the Central government is plying ‘Shramik Special’ trains in cordination with the state governments to move migrants to their native places.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked various state governments to provide a list of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh in their state so that arrangements could be made for their return.

According to the government spokesman, over seven lakh migrants have returned to the state and the government wants to bring back all those who wish to return.

The Chief Minister said that 37 trains, bringing back about 30,000 migrant workers, had already reached Uttar Pradesh and 20 more are expected on Thursday.

Yogi Adityanath has stated that his government will make arrangements for medical screening of every migrant worker, his stay in quarantine and then ensuring his journey to his home.

Nearly 50,000 medical staff is screening the workers who are coming in.

Every worker will be given a ration kit and a sum of Rs 1,000 before he returns home.

The state government is also making efforts to provide employment, based on the skills of workers, to those who want to stay in Uttar Pradesh.