Maharashtra sets up office to help people stuck due to lockdown, issues SOP

A day after the Centre issued guidelines allowing inter-state movement of stranded people across the country due to the lockdown, the Maharashtra government has set up a control room to facilitate migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students in the state who want to go back to their home. 

An office has been set up under director of Maharashtra's Disaster Management Authority Abhay Yawalkar. Two contact numbers - 022- 22027990, 022-22023039 - have been released by the state for people who want to see the help. 

The nationwide lockdown, imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, will be in force till May 3. But the restrictions are likely to continue beyond that with relaxations for some districts, the MHA hinted on Wednesday. 

Dr Nitin Kareer, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) along with Idzes Kundan, Principal Secretary, Woman and Child Development Department, and Abhay Yawalkar, Director of State Disaster Management will coordinate this movement, the Maharashtra government said in an order. 

All District Collectors will be the designated Nodal Authority for receiving and sending such stranded persons between the States/UTs and also within the State of Maharashtra, the SOP for movement of people attached with the order said.

The Nodal Authority shall register the stranded persons within their district and submit their detailed list to the District Collector of the district to which those persons desire to travel, with a copy to the respective State Nodal Officer, the order said. 

"For inter-state movement, the sending and receiving states and UTs shall consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road as also the schedule. No movement shall be permitted into the state of Maharashtra unless the group of persons has obtained the letter from the appropriate District Collector or the Director, State Disaster Management," the order further said. 

A format of the letter has also been released by the government. 

Similarly, no group of persons shall be allowed to leave unless they have an appropriate letter from the receiving State/District Authority, it added. 

"The persons who desire to move shall be screened and only those who do not show influenza like symptoms or symptoms of COVID-19 shall be allowed to proceed. In the case of persons showing symptoms, the future course of treatment will be followed as per the standard health protocol. The letter of the sending States/UTs / District shall clearly mention that the persons have been screened and are found to be asymptomatic. The letter of the sending States/UTs / District should also mention that the persons would abide by the protocol decided by the receiving state," the order said. 

"0n arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the persons in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with frequent health check-up. For this purpose, such persons may be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked," it added.