One hundred and sixty of 406 people including migrant labourers, pilgrims and tourists, who were stranded here amid national lockdown to contain coronaviurs, were sent to their native towns in four buses travelling to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Koshin Koul, SDPO Domana, Jammu said that the people are being sent in a "phased manner". "Today we are sending 166 people back to their homes and tomorrow we shall send back the remaining ones," Koul told .
Pawan Kotwal, SDM, North Jammu said that the people stranded here were going back to their homes after more than 40 days.
"Today we are sending four buses of which two would be travelling to Patna and the remaining two buses would be travelling to Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand," Kotwal told .
"In order to ensure that they do not go hungry along the way, we have also made arrangements for food packets. People leaving from here are fit, healthy and asymptomatic and have no history of overseas travel," he said.
One of the passengers, who hails from Bihar, said that she came here on March 17 but could not go back home due to the lockdown in place.
"We came to the Raja Swami Ashram and were given good facilities over here. We have no complaints. Today we are going back home via bus and it feels good. I am very thankful to the Modi Government," she said.
Another passenger echoed the same sentiment and said "he is grateful to go back problem-free".
"It feels amazing that after such a long time I would get to go back home. I would get to see my family after a long time. I am also grateful that I get to go back to Patna problem-free," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )