They walked for four days, traversing across 218km, in extreme weather.

That is what it took for four distressed labourers working at the AIIMS site at Changsari in Assam’s Kamrup district to reach home in Kokrajhar district.

Ramprasad Das, 45, Nadir Hussain 50, Nikhil Majumdar, 22, and Aminur Rahman, 35, who were stranded amid the lockdown and running out of funds, decided that walking home was the last resort.

On a bright April 22 morning, the four friends set off on a perilous journey along National Highway 31. They walked and walked, finally reaching Kokrajhar on Saturday morning.

“Our family members were worried and we were also longing to see them. So, we decided to head home on foot. We did not have any food with us but hunger did not deter us. Our only aim was to reach home as the holy month of Ramazan was approaching,” Hussain said.

“We faced difficult situations often but did not lose hope. We walked day and night, often just getting four to five hours of sleep. Some people offered us food and water along the route,” said Das.

“We would rest under a tree when we felt tired. After a break of 10 to 20 minutes, we started again,” he added.

“We had hoped to get a lift from a passing vehicle but had no such luck,” he said.

When medical workers were informed about the arrival of the labourers, some reached the site and discovered the men were facing acute pain in their limbs and had swollen legs.

“They were exhausted and dehydrated as they walked for so much. They had swollen feet. We will provide them medical assistance,” said a medical worker.

A police officer said, “The labourers hail from different parts of Kokrajhar. After their health stabilises, we will arrange for travel to their homes.”

The ordeal of these labourers comes at a time when the Assam government has relaxed the rules for inter-district travel from Saturday to Monday.

“Many are separated from their families and are in a mad rush to get back to their near and dear ones. Although the Assam government has earmarked 41,000 people to commute on this ‘one-way journey’, it is clear that many of the labourers will be left behind,” said Kokrajhar-based social worker Pratibha Devi.