The postal department on Wednesday will release a special postal cover in honour of the migrant workers of Mumbai. Five migrant labourers from different sectors will inaugurate the cover, including a construction labourer, a taxi driver, a jewellery craftsman and a tailor, who is now stitching masks for postal employees, The Times of India reported.

The event will be held at the General Post Office in South Mumbai.

Postmaster General of Mumbai Region Swati Pandey told the newspaper that migrant workers have contributed immensely to the lives of Mumbai’s citizens. “They are so used to being treated as outsiders, they could not fathom why we wanted to honour them,” she said about their reaction to being invited to inaugurate the cover. “Their initial reaction was doubt and disbelief.”

Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra and Goa State, Harish Chandra Agrawal, said that they want to acknowledge the contribution of natives of other states in building Mumbai. “They are an integral part of the cityscape, and what better time to recognise their effort than the present,” he said.

Scores of migrant labourers were stranded after a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown has been extended till May 17. While the Centre has now arranged shramik special trains to help migrants reach home, many still continue to walk along the state highways and railway tracks.