In a relief to migrant labourers stranded by the nationwide lockdown in various places across the country, the Indian Railways on Friday started operating “Shramik Special” trains to move them to their home states.
On Friday, it operated five trains from Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala, and Rajasthan for transporting more than 7,000 people, including stranded labourers, pilgrims, tourists, and students.
The first such special train ferrying over 1,200 stranded migrant labourers from Telangana to Jharkhand reached its destination Hatia on Friday night. The 24-coach train, which has a capacity of 72 seats in a compartment, contained only 54 people in each in accordance with social distancing norms. In coupes, six passengers have been allowed, instead of eight. All passengers were also screened for symptoms before being allowed to board.
According to an official of the South Central Railways, the Telangana government had paid the Indian Railways for running the train.
The state government would take them to their respective districts in sanitised buses, following COVID-19 protocols. The migrants were apparently ecstatic to reach home as they were welcomed with roses by senior officials at Hatia railway station.
The other five “Shramik Special” trains announced by the railways are –Nasik to Lucknow (9:30 pm), Aluva to Bhubaneswar (6 pm), Nasik to Bhopal (8 pm), Jaipur to Patna (10 pm) and Kota to Hatia (9 pm).
After deboarding the passengers, the empty train will return once it is properly sanitised and all the coaches will be locked meticulously to avoid the entry of anybody. Disinfectants were being sprayed in around the Hatia railway station before the arrival of the train.
Transport officials have been asked to prepare an estimate of the number of migrant workers set to leave for their respective districts and make buses available through coordination among the officials engaged for the purpose.
