Chennai: Observing that 55,473 migrant workers stranded in the state due to COVID lockdown have been sent to their respective states in trains in the last ten days, Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said steps were being taken to send the remaining workers back to their states and appealed to them not to go by walk on their own or by any other vehicles.

In a statement here, he also appealed to them to stay put at the relief camps till they were sent back to their home states.

He said from 6 to 15 May, 55.473 migrant workers from other states were repatriated in 43 trains to states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra, West Bengal and Northeast with the consent of the respective state governments. He said steps were being taken to send 10,000 migrant workers daily.

Since the Tamilnadu government was making all arrangements for their return and would bear the entire travel costs, including the train fare, he appealed to them not to go by walk to their states or by any other vehicles and instead remain in relief camps where they were presently staying till they were sent back.

Palaniswami’s appeal comes in the backdrop of the death of more than 20 migrant workers in a lorry accident in Uttar Pradesh early Saturday.