Hyderabad Students Paid ₹2.06 lakhs To Return Home

by Tonakshi Kalra
Hyderabad Students Paid ₹2.06 lakhs To Return Home

Due to the extended lockdown, many people are stuck in different cities, including workers, students and many professionals. While for migrant workers, Shramik Special trains  started few days back, there are many students who are trying on their own to get back to their native states. After endless waiting, students and UPSC civil services aspirants were forced to shell out between ₹8,000-₹10,000 per head to reach their native places in Telangana.

Image credits: The Hindu

What Is It

Approximately 200 students from Telangana who are studying in various educational institutions and some preparing for civil examinations in Delhi had to hire buses and cabs to get out of the containment zones in the city.

Out of those, 27 students left Delhi in an air conditioned sleeper bus on 9th May 2020. To hire the 53-seater bus, they had to pay a whopping amount of ₹2.06 lakhs. The bus was allowed to carry half of its capacity duly following the Centre’s direction on social distancing and other precautions. The 1600 km journey would take close to 40-hours. The road route which usually no one would take in normal conditions but due to lockdown, they had no other option. Two more such buses are bound for Hyderabad from Noida.

Arrangements That Had To Be Taken Care Of

Some of the students described the experience as a nightmare. Ranadeep Reddy, a civil’s aspirant and native of Mancherial district was reported as saying, “We decided on road travel after we, nearly 200 students, were told it was not possible to arrange special trains. We found a travel bus ready to take us to Hyderabad and we informed the Toll Free number of the Telangana government, the bus number and other details and got a vehicle pass.”

Image credits: Quora

Another aspirant added, “The Whatsapp group created by the TS students helped us to coordinate and plan the travel to Hyderabad. Although, the thought of road journey is scary, but we have no other option.”

Those Who Managed

While some students struggled to hire buses, there were 13 students who got lucky as they managed to get seats in an Innova and a Tempo Traveller which came to New Delhi to drop teachers from different Kendriya Vidyalayas working in Hyderabad.

Image credits: Evo India

Also read: Vande Bharat Mission Begins: 64 Flights To Bring Back Nearly 15,000 Indians Stranded Abroad

One of the student, Ashfaq was reported as saying, “To get seats in Innova and Tempo Traveller, all 13 of us paid ₹10,000 each.” He also added that they had to take the risk of travelling such long distance to reach their families in Hyderabad. The students had a tough time even finding food. Fortunately, only one dhaba owner near Nagpur pitied them and cooked food after the cooks were given masks, sanitiser and gloves.

Different Yet Memorable Experience

Everyone had their own experiences. Some called it scary and nightmarish, and some called it memorable. One such person is an SUV driver, D.Venu from Hyderabad, who was reported as saying, “I had driven long distance carrying the Ayyappa devotees umpteen number of times. But, this was altogether different experience yet a memorable one. We did not get even a cup of tea for almost 200 kms after crossing Nagpur. We managed with biscuits and fruits alone.”

Image credits: The Hindu

Also read: Divided By Borders; United By COVID-19

All those entering Telangana at Adilabad border check post had to undergo thermal screening. Medical teams also put those people under home quarantine for 14 days.

Some students from various states are still stuck in Delhi and trying their best to head back to their homes as soon as possible.

Atram Sayudha of Utnoor in K.B Asifabad district, who is still in New Delhi was reported as saying, “We are six students from Old Adilabad district. We are confident of hiring a four-wheeler in the next two days or so to reach our native places.”

 

 

 

 

Source: The Hindu