Assam has found itself in a tight spot while preparing the road map to bring back those stranded outside the state.

The state government was preparing to welcome lakhs of people from outside the state after Delhi decided on Wednesday to allow inter-state travel for stranded people from next week but the detection of four new Covid-19 patients in the state on Thursday may halt the entire process.

Dispur has been referring to the ensuing incoming of the stranded into the state as “second wave”, which is also termed as highly worrying. The “first wave” was the incoming of some 70,000 people ahead of the nationwide lockdown that started from March 24 midnight and was extended till May 3.

None from the first wave have reported positive.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the state government had accelerated its action plans for the large inflow from other states, including Covid-19 hotspots.

The state police had been given the responsibility to initiate the process of transporting stranded migrant workers, students, tourists, pilgrims and others hailing from Assam from other parts of the country.

“There were plans to bring back people batch-wise and state-wise, based on their age, gender and locations. Though the Centre had agreed to road travel, the state government was also trying to convince the Union civil aviation ministry and various private airlines to try and airlift 859 stranded patients on a priority basis. But the situation has changed now and everything needs to be reworked,” an official source said.

More than a month after the countrywide lockdown, the Union home ministry had on Wednesday issued guidelines to allow inter-state movement of stranded people. It said all stranded people can return to their hometowns after undergoing strict medical screening both at the source and destination cities.

States were directed to organise thermal testing units and quarantine facilities for all those stranded in order to clear asymptomatic cases, before sending them to their homes.

However, the movement of migrants, tourists and students will be restricted to non-containment zones.

Assam is also setting up two huge quarantine facilities in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts to accommodate them if necessary.

Last Sunday, 391 students were brought via road from Kota in Rajasthan, covering a distance of nearly 2,000km. While the students paid for the journey, the state government provided police officials to facilitate their journey. All of them have been quarantined.

However, with at least 10 persons from Assam testing positive in Delhi recently, Sarma said it won’t be easy for the state government to facilitate the incoming of lakhs of people into the state.

He said the development had compounded the health department’s concern.

According to the government’s estimate, nearly three lakh people would return to Assam once the inter-state travel of stranded people begins in the country.

Those who want to come home to Assam are likely to be asked to register themselves online and collect e-transit passes from both the authorities at the source and destination. Arrangements will be made to track the buses they will travel in. After reaching Assam, they will have to undergo quarantine at facilities or homes.

The government is currently allowing, with prior permission and in accordance with the Union home ministry’s guidelines, inter-district travel of those stranded within the state.

Sarma said the detection of fresh cases in the state may force the government to rework its strategy for any “relaxation” on lockdown after May 3 too.

“It’s a tricky situation now. We first need to deal with the current situation and leave the rest. The prime concern now is to tackle the state’s situation first,” he said.