The Railways started special trains to move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places due to lockdown, to help them reach their native places. (PTI Photo)
Nearly 1,200 migrant labourers from Bihar were set to leave for Patna by a special train on Friday night.
According to senior officials of the Rajasthan government, all these migrant labourers were stranded in the state ever since the lockdown started and were living in government-run camps.
“The labourers who are leaving today were lodged at camps in Nagaur district. We brought them to the closest point which is Jaipur and from where they will be sent to Bihar,” said additional chief secretary, industries, Subodh Agarwal.
An official from the North Western Railways (NWR) told The Indian Express that the special train will go non-stop till Patna from where officials from the Bihar government will make arrangements for their screening and help them reach their homes.
“To ensure social distancing, the middle berth of the coaches won’t be opened and the train, which has 24 coaches will go straight to Patna,” said the NWR official.
He added that the labourers were brought through state-government buses to the railway station.
Another train from Kota ferrying around 1,200 students to Jharkhand was also scheduled to leave on Friday.
“I am happy that students from Jharkhand are leaving by train from #Kota, #Rajasthan to Jharkhand and they would soon reunite with their families. My best wishes to all the students,” tweeted Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Gehlot, who held a high-level meeting on the issue of ferrying migrant labourers said that the state government is constantly coordinating with the Centre and other states to ensure smooth transit of the migrants. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government said migrants returning from other states will be kept under 14-day quarantine.
About 10 lakh people have registered through the government helpline number, health minister Raghu Sharma said.
“It is difficult to screen infected migrants coming from outside the state as most of the cases are asymptomatic. They will be sent to requested area by district collector only after arranging home quarantine or institutional quarantine,” he said.
Instructions have also been given to arrange quarantine centres for the poor and destitute, he added. — with PTI