Special train to bring stranded Odia migrant labourers from Kerala

Hemanta Pradhan | TNN | May 2, 2020, 05:41 IST

Migrants being screened as they arrive at Aluva Station on Friday to board a special train for Bhubaneswar to reach their native places.

Migrants being screened as they arrive at Aluva Station on Friday to board a special train for Bhubaneswar to ...Read More

BHUBANESWAR: A special train carrying around 1200 stranded Odia migrant labourers will start it's journey from Aluva station in Kerala on Friday evening towards Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Ministry of Railways has confirmed that this train will run on Friday evening.
Both the Kerala and Odisha governments have already discussed about this issue. "We have received information that a train may leave from Kerala with Odia labourers tonight. Similarly, another train may start its journey from Gujarat within a few days," said Odisha chief secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy on Friday.
He said the sending state will carry out a pre-registration of travelling passengers before they allow them to travel. "Stranded workers returning by trains will be received at certain specific railway stations. They will be shifted to the quarantine centres by government team. We will send them in buses to their district, gram panchayats or urban areas," he added.
Tripathy said they will be kept in quarantine centres set up in panchayats and urban areas. All the returnees will be stamped on right hand in indelible ink at the check points. "For people returning to urban areas, home quarantine will be preferred. People can also stay in paid quarantine centres," he added.
East Coast Railway (ECoR) official statement said that 'Shramik Special' trains will start on Labour Day which falls on May 1 to move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places due to lockdown. Ministry of Home Affairs has also allowed the running of special trains to bring stranded migrant labourers.
ECoR sources said these special trains will run from point to point. Senior officials from Railways and state governments will be deployed as nodal officers to coordinate and smoothly operate these special trains.
Railways sources said the sending state will screen the passengers and allow asymptomatic people to travel. It is mandatory for the passengers to wear face cover including masks. They should also adopt social distancing norms while travelling in the trains. The sending state will provide food and drinking water to the passengers at the originating station. On longer route, Railways will give meal to the passengers.
The ministry of railways has run 'Shramik Special' from Lingampalli to Hatia today. Besides Aluva to Bhubaneswar special train, the railways will also run these trains from Nashik to Lucknow, Nashik to Bhopal, Jaipur to Patna and Kota to Hatia.