Skip Goa halts of special trains, CM Pramod Sawant tells Centre

PANAJI: With eight Covid-19 positives cases being detected in the state in a span of 24 hours, and that too all “imported”, chief minister Pramod Sawant has asked the Union government to direct the Indian Railways to skip Goa. “We have written to the railway ministry and asked that, if possible, not to make a stop at Goa,” Sawant said.
The chief minister said that more than 50% of those due to arrive in the state by the train route are non-Goans and that he has conveyed the state government’s concerns in this regards. “I have spoken to Union home minister Amit Shah, railways minister Piyush Goyal and the ministry of home affairs over the issue. I have not asked them to cancel those trains. I have told them that more non-Goans are travelling to Goa by train than Goans,” he said.
In all, 720 people have made bookings for the Rajdhani Express expected to arrive in Goa on Saturday.
Stating that he has sought details on how to test all those disembarking at Goa, Sawant said the bigger question was where the non-Goans will stay, as there are a large number of them among those arriving. “Where will they stay, will they follow home quarantine, will they come in contact with the public,” he said.
Referring to the seafarer who tested positive on Thursday despite testing negative in Mumbai and undergoing 14-day quarantine there, the chief minister said he is worried that cases may increase in the state in this manner. “This is why I decided to write to the Union government,” Sawant said.
He said that he has told the Centre that hotels in the state are closed and that they will not find a place to stay. “We have raised this concern and they have told me that they will study the issue and take a decision accordingly,” he said.