DPCC writes to CM Vijayan, shows willingness to pay travel expenses of Keralites stranded in Delhi

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) on Sunday wrote to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, expressing willingness to fund the travel expenses of all people from Kerala, who are stranded in the national capital due to the lockdown and cannot afford to pay for their journey to reach their home state.

"I would like to inform you that the DPCC will fund the travel expenses of all such people who cannot afford to pay for their journey and wanting to return to Kerala. I look forward to hearing positively from you at the earliest," said Delhi Congress chief Ch l Kumar to Vijayan in the letter.

The Kerala government has asked the Railways Ministry for trains to be arranged for people from the state including students stranded in Delhi.

Kumar said the Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NoRKA) has also communicated to all such persons and their journey will be allowed on a "payment basis" only."I am fully aware that many people are facing huge economic hardships in the time of this pandemic and may not be able to afford the cost of the journey. This is especially true for the student community which is completely dependent on resources and finances," he said.Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi recently issued a statement stating that her party will bear the cost for rail travel of every needy migrant worker and labourer to their respective home towns during the lockdown.She had said that Congress had taken the decision as the Centre and Railway Ministry completely ignored party's repeated requests to ensure provisions of "safe and free rail travel of migrant workers and labourers to their home-towns."

( With inputs from ANI )