Separated from his 6-year-old

daughter in Jharkhand for close to two months, Arjun Singh Choudhary on whom fortune smiled, left from Katpadi in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district by a special train tohis home state.

Though he has to return to CMC Vellore, again for treating his wife, he is rather relieved to be homeward-bound to be reunited with his little daughter and octogenarian parents in Bokaro.

He was among the nearly 1,140 people who on Wednesday night were put on the first special train,arranged by the Tamil Nadu government on the request of the Jharkhand government to the northern state from Katpadi station in Velloredistrict.

"It was a bitter experience staying in the lodge with my cash saving running dry, no food to eat and the cruel lodge owners demanding the rent.

There were 15 of us from Bokaro, who were stranded in the lodge as the nationwide lockdown was enforced from March 25," reminiscences Arjun Singh, who works in an electrical shop in his home town.

He had been to CMC hospital on March 17 for treating his wife for ear-related problems.

As the Coronavirus spread rapidly, the state government sealed the inter-state borders, temporarily suspended all transport services and enforced the lockdown from March 24.

Like several others, Arjun Singh and his wife too were caught unawares and their stay at the lodge got extended.

"I sought help from several quarters.. finally the Tamil Nadu government responded and the Vellore district officials intervened.

Apart from making the lodge owner to slash 50 per cent tariff, the administration offered to pay 50 per cent of the outstanding bill," he told PTI over phone.

"I am happy the Tamil Nadu government came to our rescue. Now I am on myway home to be united with my daughter and my 80-year-old parents who can't take care of themselves," he said.

"I have to return to CMC again after the coronavirus threat recedes and life becomes normal," Singh added apparently relieved that his 10 day short of nearly two month nightmarish stay in Vellore has ended.

He hopes his second visit to the medical town would be pleasant.

"The IRCTC has been providing us food. Due to gas leak in a chemical factory in (South Korean company LG Corp in) Visakhapatnam (in Andhra Pradesh) our special train has taken diversion.

Now we are near Khammam (in Telangana state) and we hope to reach Nagpur tomorrow," Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)