Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 7 : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu has appealed to the Centre and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palswamy to help rescue over 2,000 Telugu fishermen and construction workers, who are stranded in TN due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
According to a press release of the TDP, Naidu has written to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla stating that these migrant workers were stuck at different places in Chennai, Erode, and Tirupur districts among others and are facing severe hardships due to the lockdown. They are also unable to access government benefits due to a lack of identity documents.
"On behalf of those families and my own behalf, I appeal to you to provide immediate relief by providing them with shelter, food, water, medical aid, and other essential commodities," the letter reads.
In another letter addressed to Palswamy, Naidu lauded the efforts being taken by the Tamil Nadu government to reduce the burden of lockdown on the poor people.
"In this backdrop, I would like to bring to your notice about many Telugu people stranded in Chennai and various other parts of Tamil Nadu. Many Telugu people who have come to Tamil Nadu for livelihood are stranded at places like Taram, Velachery, Avadi, and Ambatur in Chennai. Further, in districts like Thiruvallur, Erode, and Tirupur, many Telugu workers are stranded due to COVID-19 lockdown," the letter adds.
The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India has climbed to 4,789, as per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. The toll due to the coronavirus has risen to 124 while 353 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of 868 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu 621 and Delhi 576.
( With inputs from ANI )