Railways set to ferry stranded people

Aarti Kapur | TNN | May 2, 2020, 05:30 IST

Passengers travel in a special train run from Lingampalli, Hyderabad, to Hatia, Jharkhand, on Friday

CHANDIGARH: Following the nod from Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to run special trains to bring back stranded residents from various states, the Ambala division of Northern Railway has started chalking out plans for Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Ambala divisional railway manager G M Singh said Punjab has already informed about its requirement of trains from four stations — Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda. Chandigarh and Haryana are expected to tell them about the status of stranded persons in their areas and their requirements on Saturday, he said.
Sources said that the Punjab government has sent communications to Ambala and Ferozepur divisions regarding movement of people during the lockdown. The state has told the railways that those willing to travel outside Punjab have been asked to register themselves through COVA app by May 3. Expecting over a lakh registrations by the given date, Punjab authorities have requested the railways to create facilities at the four railway stations. Some more stations could be added after the registrations are over, they said.
An estimated 20,000 migrant labourers stuck in and around Chandigarh want to commute to their native states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. According to the local intelligence unit, which prepares data with the railway officials, migrant labourers waiting to return are located in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Kalka, Baddi, Parwanoo, Dera Bassi, Zirakpur and Lalru.