Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday questioned Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on a list of 125 Shramik Special trains requested by the Maharashtra government to transport stranded migrant workers and said a list of only 46 trains was received by the railways.

In one of a series of tweets on May 24-25 night, Goyal said: “Where is the list of 125 trains from Maharashtra? As of 2 am, received a list of only 46 trains of which five are to West Bengal and Odisha, which cannot operate due to cyclone Amphan. We are notifying only 41 trains for today despite being prepared for 125.”

His remarks came amid a war of words between the two over a television news report wherein the Maharashtra government claimed to have given a list of 200 trains to the Railways.

Earlier on Sunday night, Goyal said: “Uddhav (Thackeray)ji, hope you are healthy and good luck for your good health. Tomorrow, we are ready to deliver 125 Shramik Special trains from Maharashtra. You told me that you have a list of workers ready. So, you are requested to share all information, such as where the trains will run, the list of passengers according to the trains, their medical certificate and where the trains are to go; please give all the information to the General Manager of Central Railway in the next hour so that we can plan the timings of the trains.”

He said that hopefully, after arriving at the railway station as before, trains do not have to go back empty.

“I would like to assure you that the trains you need will be available,” Goyal said.

Goyal kept on asking the Chief Minister at regular intervals during the night to provide the list of 125 Shramik trains to be run from the western state.

Goyal tweeted: “Sadly, it has been 2.30 hours but the Maharashtra government has been unable to give the required information about tomorrow’s planned 125 trains to the GM of Central Railway. Planning takes time and we do not want trains to stand empty at the stations; so it’s impossible to plan without full details.”

He added that he expects the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Government to “fully cooperate in the efforts made for the benefit of migrant laborers”.

The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli on the city’s northern outskirts has been readied for resuming domestic flight operations from Monday, two months after all services were suspended on March 23 to contain the coronavirus spread, an official said on Sunday.

“The airport is spruced up and ready to resume domestic flight services by all the airlines from Monday in compliance with the new guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Health Ministry,” the official of the operator told IANS here.

As the third busiest airport after Mumbai and New Delhi in normal times, the country’s first greenfield airport under the public-private partnership has been functional even during the extended lockdown, with cargo services by domestic and international airlines and inbound/outbound evacuation flights since March-end.

“As per standard operating procedure, only asymptomatic passengers who have downloaded the Arogya Setu app and booked the air ticket online will be allowed into the airport on showing an e-boarding pass or its printed version at the entrance and after thermal screening and handwashing with sanitiser, asserted the official.

Wearing mask is compulsory for all through the journey.

For the first time, the movement of passengers for departure from parking to boarding will be contactless to maintain physical distancing and avoid risk of touching any surface in the airport.

“Even sanitiser-dispensers will be touch-free in the airport terminal. So also food and beverage service and retail sales in the departure lounge.

Though the airport is geared up for full-fledged operations, the airlines will operate only one-third or 30 percent of their capacity, as directed by the civil aviation ministry and its regulator (DGCA) for gradual reopening of the domestic service.

“Passengers arriving from other cities will also be screened on landing and guided for 7-day mandatory institutional quarantine at a hotel of their choice or in designated hostels, as decided by the state government,” asserted the official.

The fumigated airport has also disinfection tunnels for passengers to pass through.

“With emphasis on least touch and exposure between passengers and airport staff, physical contact will be minimal due to extensive use of technology,” said Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) Chief Executive Hari Marar in a statement here.

The CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) will verify the boarding pass and a state-issued photo ID using an electronic device or through a magnified glass screen.

Doormats will be soaked with bleach at the terminal entrance to disinfect shoes or footwear.

On entering the departure terminal, every passenger will scan the boarding pass at a contactless self-service kiosk, collect baggage tag before proceeding to the airline counter to drop-off his/her luggage.

Passengers also have the option of using the assisted baggage drop counter to print and tag their baggage.

Initially, only one-hand baggage and one checked-in luggage will be allowed, as mandated by the DGCA.

At the airline bag drop counters, a transparent partition has been installed for the safety of passengers and the airline staff.

“Passengers have to observe safe distance markers on the floor.AThey will scan the boarding pass on a sensor and show his/her ID for the airline staff to accept their baggage.

Under the new contactless process, body scanning will be done using door frame metal detectors.

Stamping of the boarding pass has been suspended by the regulator (DGCA).

“At the boarding gate, the airline staff will hand over a kit containing a face mask, face shield, and sanitiser to the passenger, who must put on the new mask and sanitise hands before boarding.

The passenger will scan the boarding pass on the sensor. Airline staff will do temperature screening and then permit boarding.

Across the terminal bio-waste collection bins are placed so that passengers can dispose their used mask and other personal protective equipment.

A survey by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has shown that around 71 per cent people in the country would prefer domestic travel in the coming months, while only 1.4 per cent people wanted to travel abroad.

However, the report showed that 27.6 percent of respondents in the survey would like to travel both in India and abroad.

Around 33.3 per cent respondents said that they would like to travel within one month of the lockdown restrictions being lifted. Another 30.5 percent said that they would travel within 3 months.

As per the survey which was conducted in north India, around 29 percent of people would like to travel within six months of the curbs being eased and just 7.1 percent would venture out more than 1 year after the lockdown.

Further, business travel and outing with family are the two biggest reasons for travel. The two reasons account for over two-thirds of responses.

Star-rated hotels are the most preferred place of stay for respondents, as 45.2 percent preferring them. Around 21 percent have shown a preference for staying in resorts.

Use of protective gear comes across as the most important precaution that tourists would like to take during travel with the Aarogya Setu app being the preferred choice of around one-fifth of respondents.

Stressing on the impact of the lockdown on the tourism sector and the need for government support, Nikhil Sawhney, Chairman, CII Northern Region, said: “Given the nature of the tourism sector, it is first to be impacted and last to recover. The sector generates mass employment, even in remote areas, and it is critical that the government looks at the package to cover the tourism and hospitality sector under various policies announced”.

The survey was conducted across seven states and three union territories of north India, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

With the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus and the exponential rise in the number of cases, people from the North Eastern states of India, besides being affected by the pandemic, have also been hit by racial profiling and discrimination based on their appearance.

Given the fact that they possess features of a typical ‘Asian look’ – causing them to be likened to the citizens of China, from where the deadly virus spread to the world. Deliberately or a case of mistaken identity, people from the Northeast have become victims of attacks, racial slurs and stereotypical discrimination.

It was not long before a certain section of people started to vent their Coronavirus-manifested frustrations on Indians from the Northeast by name calling them “Coronavirus”, “Corona” etc. This, at a time when the entire country is anxious about preventing the pandemic wreaking even more havoc.

In the past one month and through the various phases of the lockdown, cases of discrimination based on racial profiling have intensified. IANSlife spoke with many such victims who have faced rent issues, lack of essentials, finance problems, landlord and tenant issues, non-payment of salary, loss of job, medical emergencies with physical abuse and verbal slurring, due to the perceived resemblance.

Many who are facing the brunt of these attacks are still stranded in different parts of the country and unable to make their way home, while they have mercilessly been asked to vacate their rented apartments, hostels and paying guest accommodations.

In a typical incident during this lockdown– a 20-year-old Manipuri girl, was racially abused and physically attacked, by an elderly woman and few others in Haryans’s Gurgaon; while an individual being spat on by random strangers, say reports.

Like many across the country, the Northeastern region accounts for thousands of residents contributing to the workforce and skilled labour in Indian metropolitan cities, who migrate in search of better work and educational opportunities.

“Racism happens everywhere around the world directly or indirectly. What is happening to North Eastern people during this pandemic is unfortunate and it’s been happening to us for a very long time even before this global health crisis. I pray and hope that one day, Indians no matter which part of the country we are from and what we look like, we can respect each other and live as one,” says singer and musician Alobo Naga.

In an act of solidarity and unity, like-minded people from the region across diverse professions such as civil service, law, social work, public health, education, and other professions have joined hands with Special Police Unit for North Eastern Region (SPUNER), Delhi Police who work for the security of the Northeastern people, with a 24×7 dedicated Helpline ‘1093’ (Toll Free) under the supervision of David Lalrinsanga, IPS. Joint Commissioner Cum Nodal Officer for northeast people in Delhi since it’s inception in 2014, form the North East Task Force (NETF); a platform streamlined to address and redress the issues and grievances faced by the Northeast community at this time of crisis.

It was initially started to mitigate the challenges and concerns that COVID-19 has posed to Northeastern people residing in Delhi-NCR, but later extended its presence pan-India by offering advice and assistance to people through its respective networks, acting as the focal point for connection. It facilitates and connects victims and people to their respective state governments or concerned authorities.

Hibu Tamang IPS, Addl. Commissioner, SPUNER, Delhi Police said, “The SPUNER teams have been rendering other humanitarian services to the North Eastern people in Delhi-NCR. Adding, “Many lost their jobs and were unable to pay house rents. The house owners troubled them and asked them to pay the rent or to vacate rooms. Some house owners even disconnected the electricity and drinking water connection for non payment of house rents. Many were being ill-treated and the people around called them as “Chinese Corona”. The North East Task Force (NETF) with the support of SPUNER, Delhi Police have helped resolve the complaints received.”.

J Maivio, special invitee member of the Monitoring Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), also commented on the massive surge in racism and xenophobia related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Unfortunately the North East community has for years been subjected to xenophobia and racism by various sections of people. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has literally opened the flood gates and there is a surge in racial discrimination towards people from the region. Ever since the corona virus made its presence in China’s Wuhan, the viral racial tremors have been severely felt in India. We have been receiving reports of racial attacks across India.” said J Maivio

To combate the discrimination, he also stressed on:

Insertion of section 153C, 505A/509A to include racial discrimination; derogatory remarks relating to race, culture, customs, identity or physical appearances to be made punishable.
Explore the possibility of setting up a police unit like SPUNER, Delhi Police and extension of helpline (Toll-Free) number ‘1093’ to other metropolitan cities.
Include components of Northeast in the teachers/ educators training conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Inclusion of curriculum for students across the country on Northeast India.
Increase in special recruitment of police personnel from Northeast at various level.
Sensitizing the law enforcing agencies about the people and culture of the Northeast as a part of the training.

Radhika Bapat, Clinical Psychotherapist states, “We have repeatedly seen dehumanizing of groups in history – The Ku Klux Klan portraying people of dark colour as animalistic, the Nazi’s portraying the Jews as unworthy of human rights, the Hutu referring to the Tutsi as cockroaches, Indians referring to Chinese people (based on their looks) as ‘Chinki’, and the long-standing Brahmanical front and caste system of social stratification that we see till date manifesting in occupational settings where the lower castes were referred to as “untouchables” (sanitary services such as carrying night soil or scavenging).

This behaviour comes from a “feeling” that somehow “we” are superior beings and “they” are below us. In order to overcome discrimination, you have to be aware of it. Once you have the insight, you now have the choice to either stand-up for those being discriminated against and be a hero, do nothing and be a spectator, or join the masses and do evil”.

The effect and the toll on people being discriminated on the basis of racial and regional profiling during such hard time could be massive. It is imperative for us as Indians to stand together for each other during this crisis.