Srinagar, Apr 26 (UNI) Expressing serious concern over the plight of J&K students stranded in different parts of the country and outside India due to lockdown imposed to curb Covid-19, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Sunday urged the state administration to make special arrangements to bring them back, the way other states are doing.
”Living under constant fear and distress, thousands of students from J&K are stranded in various parts of the country and outside India with their families worried about their health and well-being. They are seeking help as they are unable to return home due to the travel restrictions imposed by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” he said in a statement here on Sunday.
Mr Tarigami said students from J&K stuck in various parts of India are desperate to return home and have been persistently appealing to the government to evacuate them. ”In many cases, they are facing financial distress after their education institutions were shut down after the COVID19 lockdown. Several state governments have either brought back students of their states or are planning to do so,” he said.
He said last week the Uttar Pradesh government sent 250 buses to bring back some 9,000 stranded students from Kota and dropped them in their native places.
Similar initiatives are being taken by other states as well, he said, adding J&K authorities should also think on those lines and bring back stranded Kashmiri people from across the country, especially north India.
”Similarly J&K students are stranded in several countries, from Bangladesh to Kyrghyzstan and from UK to Ukraine, many are fast running out of money, while others fear they could die. Government of India must take up the issue with the respective governments and Indian embassies to mitigate the sufferings of these students. The Centre must arrange special flights to facilitate their return home, the way flights have been arranged to evacuate citizens of other countries who were stuck in various parts of the India,” he said.
He also highlighted that thousands of labourers, shawl/handicraft vendors are struck in different parts of the country. These workers are facing scarcity of food and shelter. They have exhausted their earnings and are facing immense difficulties. The coronavirus imposed lock down has only added to their miseries.
Mr Tarigami said as these stranded labourers could not return home on time and the agriculture and horticulture work has been badly hit in J&K due to non-availability of labour. ”As this is the peak season for agriculture and horticulture activities in Kashmir, the return of stranded labourers will not only mitigate the suffering of their families, but also prove beneficial for agriculture and horticulture as well,” he said.
”Even Kashmiris stranded in Jammu which is part of the same state are not being brought back by the administration which is unfortunate. Without undermining the efforts to combat COVID-19, a serious view should be taken to facilitate the return of all these stranded persons. After their return, they can be kept under mandatory quarantine, if required,” he added.
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