First special train from Delhi arrives in Ernakulam

KOCHI: Ernakulam South railway station saw hectic activities in the wee hours of Friday when the first train arrived with passengers. At the station, 269 passengers disembarked and they were received by designated teams comprising doctors and officials from various government departments. According to the district administration, all passengers hailing from Central Kerala disembarked at Ernakulam.

The special train to Kerala started from New Delhi on Wednesday. “Among the passengers, two persons are from Lakshadweep,” said a railway official.  According to Agriculture Minister VS Sunil Kumar, the district administration had contacted 258 passengers over the phone. “Amog the passengers bound for Ernakulam, there are two pregnant women and two bed-ridden patients,” he said. According to him, all passengers had to register themselves on the COVID jagratha portal.

“But those who didn’t register were provided with the facility at the railway station. KSRTC buses had been arranged for passengers belonging to other districts,” said the minister. He said, “100 passengers had notified that they have made personal travel arrangements.” According to him, every passenger was checked for Covid symptoms. “For this, four teams, with two doctors each, were deployed at two places in the station. Meanwhile, the district administration also checked whether the passengers had necessary facilities to home quarantine themselves,” said the minister. He added the railway station was disinfected once all the passengers left.

Meanwhile, according to a district administration official, around 10 KSRTC buses were arranged to take the passengers to their respective districts. “Buses had been arranged for passengers from Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Ernakulam. For districts to which there were more number of passengers, four extra buses operated,” said the official.

Police extend help to returnees
Kochi: The Kochi City police had made elaborate security arrangements, including provisions for proper social distancing, for the 269 persons who arrived at Ernakulam Junction (South) railway station in the early hours of Friday on the first special train from New Delhi to the capital. The police had arranged KSRTC buses and private taxis for the passengers. ‘Emergency Railway Station’ stickers were pasted on these vehicles. Quarantine facilities were also arranged for 38 passengers who are from Ernakulam district. Meanwhile, a Shramik train departed from Ernakulam South railway station to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh with 1,417 guest workers.