Lockdown: Sonowal urges his counterparts to provide relief to stranded people from Assam

Guwahati, Apr 18 () Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Saturday urged his counterparts from various statesto provide relief to people from Assam stranded in theirrespective states due to the lockdown imposed to contain thecoronavirus outbreak.

Sonowal called up Uddhav Thackeray of Maharashtra,Vijay Rupani of Gujarat, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy of AndhraPradesh, Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthanand B S Yediyurappa of Karnataka and spoke with them over theissue, an official release said.

Sonowal requested the chief ministers to provide food,accommodation, and security to the stranded persons from thenortheastern state and assured them of helping people fromtheir states stranded in Assam, it said.

"I will be grateful to you if you direct yourrespective district administrations to ensure the safekeepingof the people from Assam who for their professional, academic,medical and other requirements got stranded in your respectivestates," the release quoted Sonowal as saying.

He said the Assam government will require assistancefrom the local administrations to provide succour to thestranded people from the state.

Sonowal said his administration has sent letters tovarious state governments over the issue.

Noting that his administration has received similarletters from other state governments requesting help forpeople from those states stranded in Assam, the chief ministersaid his government is providing food, accommodation, andsecurity to them.

Sonowal also apprised his counterparts of thesituation in Assam arising out of the coronavirus outbreak andmeasures taken by his administration to mitigate the crisis,it added. ESBACD ACD