Jammu, April 1: In a tragic incident, three young labourers on Wednesday died of hypothermia after they trekked from the Kashmir Valley to Banihal in Jammu region. Meanwhile, another labourer was rescued in Ramban district. The four men trekked through the Pir Panjal mountain range to reach Banihal in Ramban amid coronavirus lockdown. Delhi Government to Pay House Rent of Migrant Labourers During Coronavirus Lockdown, Arvind Kejriwal Urges Workers to 'Stay Wherever They Are'.
According to a report published in Hindustan Times, there were a total of seven labourers who took a hilly route from Verinag in Anantnag towards Banihal on Tuesday. Out of them, three reached their home in Banihal, while remaining four got stuck in at a hilltop in Nagimandu (Hingal Top) due to bad weather.
Ramban’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Haseeb-ur-Rehman old the media house, “Three labourers died of hypothermia while another was rescued and shifted to a hospital. It had snowed and the night temperature had plummeted. They were coming from Anantnag to Dooligam area in Banihal area but died of hypothermia.” Lockdown-Hit Migrant Labourers, in Large Numbers, Gather at Delhi's Anand Vihar Bus Terminal (Watch Video).
The deceased were identified as Ghulam Mohiuddin, Zubair Ahmad Drabu and Reyaz Ahmad. The man who has been hospitalised was identified as Parvaiz Ahmad of Hinyal. Ramban’s district magistrate Nazim Zai Khan urged people to stay where they are. Ramban authorities are reportedly providing food and shelter to labourers. These labourers have been kept in quarantine for 14 days at Banihal railway station.
The 21-day coronavirus lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. Migrant labourers were worst affected by the lockdown, as they lost their only source of income. These labourers left with no other option except to travel to their respective hometowns on foot.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 08:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).