40 trains to transport workers promised, only one ran from Telangana

People wait in queue to apply for passes to travel to their states at Mahankali police station in Secunderabad...Read More
HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had, on Monday, announced that 40 trains would be operated daily from Tuesday to send migrant workers to their home states. He even spoke to SCR general manager Gajanan Mallya over phone to arrange trains. But on Tuesday, only two trains departed from the South Central Railway (SCR) zone in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana is yet to finish the registration of workers and provide SCR a list of trains required.
On Tuesday, a train with 1,250 migrant workers left from Ghatkesar station to Khagaria junction in Bihar at 3.05am. Another train carrying 1,212 workers left for Chandrapur in Maharashtra from Rayanapadu near Vijayawada in AP at 3am. SCR sources reveal the nodal officers and Telangana are yet to provide them with a list of 40 trains for each day, along with details of passengers who will be travelling.
“Running of 40 special trains daily will be a large-scale operation and hence a clear analysis of routes... is important. Originating and destination stations have to be carefully picked to avoid red zones,” said a railway official, on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, in a press conference on Tuesday evening, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said 11 special trains are being sent to various states like UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and the state government had paid Rs 4 crore advance.
Officials said identification of workers and registration, which began a couple of days ago, will itself take two to three days. “Going by the number of registration of workers, only 12 to 15 trains are required daily. Secondly, trains can be operated only to destinations where a large number of people belong to the same state,” a senior GAD official said.
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