Autorickshaw drivers from Dimapur finally home

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 20 (EMN): After embarking on a journey covering 924.6 km from Dimapur to Bihar, several migrant autorickshaw drivers who had left Dimapur recently, finally reached their home district Purnia in Bihar on Wednesday, at around 5 am.

Around 100 migrant autorickshaw drivers from Dimapur left for their home state Bihar on May 16, unable to support themselves due to the nationwide lockdown.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Dimapur District Auto Drivers’ Union (DDADU) president Tito Yepthomi informed that the drivers, who set off for Bihar with their families on their autorickshaws, reached their village on Wednesday morning and were in good health.

The drivers and their families were fortunate enough to have met benevolent people on their journey who offered them water, snacks and tea, it was informed.

In a video that was shared to this newspaper by Yepthomi, received from one of the autorickshaw drivers, a driver had informed that “they were in good health so far and have reached their village safe. However they are yet to enter their houses as they will have to get themselves checked for any Covid-19 symptoms.”

They also updated that there was no discrimination against them in their village after they reached, although they had travelled a long distance. They were also grateful to Dimapur district administration and DDADU for assisting them during this uncertain situation.

Yepthomi said the Dimapur district administration and DDADU had decided not to permit any autorickshaw drivers to leave Dimapur, as a “special train” has been initiated by Dimapur DC on May 22 and the 23rd for the drivers to leave for their home state Bihar for free.

He said that DDADU has been assisting around 100-200 autorickshaw drivers everyday with essential commodities. He added that well-wishers from Kohima, Dimapur and UK have been extending help in both cash and kind to the union.