TN govt prepared to facilitate evacuation
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 7
A meeting was held on May 7 in Chennai regarding the evacuation process of NE people stranded in Tamil Nadu.
The meeting was called by SJ Chiru, IAS and R Sudhan, IAS nodal authority of Tamil Nadu for the movement of the NE stranded people to and from the state. It was attended by North East India Welfare Association Chennai (NEIWAC) President, Wapangtoshi (Nagaland State Nodal Officer on COVID 19 in Chennai); Vice President, Dr Hemanga Barman and Secretary, Colney. Representatives of Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya were also present in the meeting.
Ready to send back
stranded people: TN Govt
During the meeting, it was informed that the Tamil Nadu government is ready to send stranded NE people home with the approval of the concerned State Governments.
People who want to travel should register in both the Tamil Nadu government online portal and their respective state government’s online portal.
“This dual registration is important in order to screen and identify genuine cases and only send back those who are really in need to go back home,” Wapangtoshi told The Morung Express.
Nagaland Govt’s action awaited
It was also communicated that, to facilitate the evacuation, the concerned state government nodal authorities have to communicate and consult with the Tamil Nadu government nodal authority. All the NE state governments should submit the list of the stranded people to the Tamil Nadu government so that they can travel at the earliest.
The Tamil Nadu government will then arrange trains for transportation.
According to the NEIWAC president, while Assam, Manipur and Mizoram state governments are in touch with the Tamil Nadu government, the Nagaland Government’s action plan is still awaited.
Other states are reportedly ready with the official list and they are prepared to provide all the necessities on their arrival.
However, thousands of stranded Nagas in TN, are yet to be informed about the evacuation process. Even the TN government has not received any communication regarding the same, according to reports.
“We sent the list of all the stranded Nagas who want to return home to the state government back home through the Naga Students Union Chennai last week,” Wapangtoshi said. But the TN government has not received any official communication from its counterpart in Nagaland, he claimed.
On being asked whether the state government is in touch with them, Wapangtoshi replied that so far, the Nagaland government has informed that the evacuation plan is ‘in process.’ Whatever is relayed in the newspapers is what is also told to us when we enquire, he said, adding that there were no assurances or updates yet.
Mounting problems
Wapangtoshi meanwhile informed that the total number of Nagas in the shelter home run by NEIWAC has gone up to 39. “Even today we received calls from people who were seeking accommodation. But sadly, the shelter homes are also full now,” he rued.
Besides students, there are many Nagas who were working in unorganized sectors. Jobless and unpaid, these people are struggling to survive during the lockdown, the NEIWAC president added.
The government is working tirelessly to ensure safety of everyone back home, but if the pace of the evacuation process could be increased, it would go a long way in helping the people in need, he added. Special trains normally accommodate around 1700 people (Each Shramik train has 24 coaches with 72 seats each), but with social distancing norms, one evacuation trip may not accommodate so many people at once.
It would be good if our people who are in real distress could make it back home on time, Wapangtoshi said.
NCF Kolkata writes to CM
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Naga Christian Fellowship (NCF) Kolkata wrote to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on May 7, highlighting the grievances of Nagas stranded in Kolkata.
It stated that the of late there has been uncertainty with regard to the evacuation process for stranded Nagas outside of North East. “The only clear official directive as of now is the directive to stay where they are, which under the present distressing circumstances is adding more anxiety,” the NCFK stated.
“There are more than 400 stranded Nagas in Kolkata who are apprehensively waiting for the government’s arrangement for evacuation. They have exhausted all possible resources at hand,” the NCFK letter read. It requested the Nagaland Government to take urgent measures and give out a clear official directive for evacuation process at the earliest.
