Mumbai: Alleged mismanagement by Navi Mumbai police and Maharashtra State Transport Corporation forced around 200 migrant labourers to come back to Navi Mumbai from Belgaum border instead of returning to their native place.

The labourers had registered to go to their native place at Bidar in Karnataka, near Osmanabad district in Maharashtra. 

About 200 migrant labourers had registered their names with Navi Mumbai police to go back to their native place. Nine MSRTC buses were arranged for them at APMC market yard and Sanpada in Navi Mumbai. The migrants are from Bidar district in Karnataka. They were told these buses will leave them at Maharashtra-Karnataka border near Bidar from where their native places are near.

They started their journey on Thursday morning and reached there on early Friday morning.

When these labourers got down from the bus, they realised they were near Belgaum border and not Bidar. They requested the local authorities and MSRTC bus drivers to leave them near Bidar at the border. But the local authorities told them that they cannot go by road from this point to Bidar as they were allowed to go to Belgaum border only.

Finally, the labourers requested the bus drivers to take them back to Navi Mumbai. On Saturday night all 200 labourers came back.

Prahlad Gaikwad, a labourer who was on the bus, said they requested authorities to allow the buses to go near Bidar, but the police didn't allow it. "There were senior citizens, pregnant women with us. It was not possible to go walking to our homes from the Belgaum border. So we finally decided to come back," said Gaikwad.

However, Navi Mumbai police said that as per guidelines, they were sent to the border of their home state. It is Karnataka government's responsibility to help them reach their native place.

Pankaj Dahane, Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP Crime) of Navi Mumbai, said, "As per the guidelines, we made arrangements to send the labourers to Maharashtra-Karnataka border."