Special train ferries 1,188 from Ambala to Bihar

AMBALA: A special Shramik train departed from Ambala Cantonment to Katihar in Bihar at 4pm on Thursday, carrying 1,188 migrant labourers.
“The special Shramik Express departed from Ambala Cantonment station at 6.20pm on Thursday. The train will not stop anywhere in between and the passengers will be allowed to de-board only at Katihar,” Ambala division railways PRO Dalip Singh said.
Ambala deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said, “The labourers are from several districts of Bihar, including Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Araria, Purnia and Katihar. They have been provided food packets, water bottles, masks and hand sanitisers for the journey. Most of them work as agricultural labourers in the state.”
Reflecting on his days spent in lockdown, Araria resident Arjun Kumar said, “I have been living in Ambala since 2015 and am going home now, as we are not getting any work here. For the last two months, we have not worked and have been left with no money. The administration has been providing us food and shelter and we are thankful to them for arranging our journey back home.”
Another labourer from Madhepura district said, “I worked at Julana grain market in Jind for last six months. We were told that a special train is being run by the government, so I decided to return home as my family back home is worried. Due to lockdown, I could not travel back earlier and am now thankful to the officials.”
On Thursday morning, Haryana roadways buses reached Ambala Cantonment bus stand with migrant labourers from different districts in the state. They were then lined-up with due precaution of social distancing and allowed entry inside the railway station after screening by the health teams.