5,700 guest workers say goodbye to dist in 3 days

Coimbatore: Two trains, one from the city and another from Tirupur, have left for Bihar on Sunday, carrying guest workers.
While this was the fifth train from the city, in the case of Tirupur this was the first one. Each train carried 1,100-odd guest workers.
Meanwhile, a special bus brought 25 Tamils back home from Maharashtra on Sunday. While 23 of them were from the district, the remaining two were from neighbouring Nilgiris. They were thermal screened immediately after their arrival and asked to remain in home quarantine for the next 14 days.
Officials said at least 5,700 guest workers have left for their hometowns from the district since Friday, when the first special train was operated. The district has operated three trains to Bihar and two to Uttar Pradesh so far. Following lockdown, the workers, who were employed with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and construction sector, among others, were stuck at different parts of the district for the past several weeks.
A district administration official said the next train would be decided in consultation with the native states of the guest workers. “We have to check with the authorities there if they have readied quarantine facilities to accommodate the guest workers. Trains would be arranged only after that.”
He said more than 60,000 guest workers in the district have registered to go back home. “However, the actual number of people going back would be much lesser. There are multiple entries which need to be eliminated.”
According to the official, some guest workers, who had registered for going back, have changed their minds as the industrial units have resumed operations. “Now, we hope to send 22,000 guest workers to their native states.”
The train that left Tirupur brought relief to the guest workers, who have been protesting for the past three days, demanding the authorities to arrange transportation. They were brought to the railway station in special buses that were arranged by the district administration. The guest workers were also screened at the station and provided with food, before they boarded the train.