Pics: Spoorthi Ullal/Justin D’Silva

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru/Udupi (SP/MS/JD)

Mangaluru/Udupi, Apr 27: In a knee jerk reaction to the announcement of lockdown in the state for two weeks, the migrant workers have started migrating back to their villages in a big way. The workers have started to return to their home districts from cities like Mangaluru and Udupi.

The chief minister who held the cabinet meeting on Monday in the backdrop of rising COVID19 cases, announced tough steps in the state for the next 14 days beginning April 27 night. As soon as the television channels beamed the news, the exodus of the worried workers started. Bus stands were soon flooded by the migrant workers vying to go back home.

Mangaluru

Udupi

In the afternoon of Monday, the government bus stand at Mangaluru was found abuzz with migrant workers. Their faces reflected anxiety about the future. Men and women with small babies in their arms, children by their sides and bundles of belongings wrapped in clothes on their heads could be seen running around in search of the buses to their native places. The workers are apprehensive as the previous lockdown has left a bitter taste in their lives as problems like no work, no pay, no food, had frustrated them.

At the same time, people of coastal Karnataka origin working elsewhere in the state including Bengaluru are rushing to their villages. Encashing their predicament, private bus operators have doubled their fares. The bus fare which usually was around Rs 600 one way between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, was nearly trebled to Rs 1,600 on Monday. The fare between Bengaluru and Kundapur, which was about Rs 900 in normal course, was doubled on Monday to Rs 1,800. Passengers also said that prices were jacked up similarly in certain buses without rhyme or reason.

Like the private buses, KSRTC special buses run to handle the rush, too charged more for the passengers. The number of night buses travelling between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka almost doubled on Monday. Many had to hire other vehicles to reach their homes as bus rates were high. On Tuesday, more people are expected to reach the coast.

Udupi

As lockdown is declared from April 28 for 14 days hundreds of labourers and students are going back to their native places. The KSRTC bus stand is brimming with people in Udupi. 

Additional bus services are provided for Hubballi, Bengaluru and Mysuru. Private bus operators are also running special day service buses to these places in order to ferry the passengers who want to reach their native place before the lock down begins.

Very less passengers are travelling to Bengaluru. The natives of Udupi, who had left from other places of Karnataka on Monday, have also reached the city on the morning of Tuesday.