Just a few minutes before Wednesday midnight, the Ernakulum-Santragachi Express arrived at a platform at Santragachi station in West Bengal’s Howrah district. Nazmul, a resident of Malda, was among the hundreds of young men who got down at the station.
“I had gone to work there [Kerala] almost six months ago. When the floods struck we had no idea where to seek shelter. Finally after spending days without food, I got into the first train to West Bengal,” he said. Nazmul has still not heard about his cousin who was also working there.
Mohd. Hakim Sheikh from Domkal in Murshidabad was upset that he had to pay for his train ticket. He said that the first time he got food since the floods stuck was when he reached Ernakulum station. “Some have come back but there are many who are still stranded in Kerala,” he said.
With the flood situation in Kerala easing, thousands of labourers from West Bengal have returned in the last 24 hours. A majority of those who returned had little or no luggage. Most were in their twenties and thirties, hailing from Malda and Murshidabad district.
Sanjoy Ghosh, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Eastern Railway, said in the last 24 hours four trains from Kerala had arrived in West Bengal — three at Santragachi and one at Howrah. “In the first three trains, according to our estimate, about 6,000 people have returned. The fifth train is headed to Silchar via Howrah,” Mr. Ghosh said. He added that the Southern Railway was coordinating with the South Eastern Railway in running special trains from Kerala.
Students’ gesture
Very few of those who returned had their family members waiting for them at the station, but a group of students from different educational institutions were present there in the night and early hours of morning to help those who had returned.
“Most of them were hungry and had travelled for almost three days before arriving here. We provided them with food and guided them on how to return to their villages,” said Chhandok Guha, a PG student from Presidency University. More than a hundred students have formed a group ‘Kerala pashe’ (with Kerala) to help those returning from Kerala.
Deborshi, another student, said that the number of migrant workers who could be stranded in Kerala could be much more and the West Bengal government should also try to help them. “In the first two trains which arrived at Santragachi, we found that more than 500 workers were from Assam,” he said.