The State government has decided that no more trains will be run to ferry migrant labourers from Karnataka to various destinations across the country from Wednesday. The government has written to the Indian Railways to cancel all trains scheduled from Wednesday.

N. Manjunath Prasad, nodal officer for inter-State travel from Karnataka, said that while most of those who had already booked tickets had left, the authorities would “convince others to stay back” as economic activity would begin.

A senior government functionary said the decision was taken following a meeting Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa held with leading builders and developers in the city. “We want the migrant labourers to stay back. They are the backbone of our economy without whom we cannot kick-start the economy. We will take good care of them,” said the source.

Vinay Sreenivasa of Naavu Bharateeyaru, a social welfare coalition working with the labourers, said the government ought to consider best interests of the workers and not view them only from the perspective of their employers.

Till Tuesday evening, South Western Railway had run eight trains to various destinations across the country from Karnataka. Over the last two days, Bengaluru has seen thousands of migrant workers, who have been without work during the lockdown period, desperately trying to get on to trains to head back to their home towns.