First special train with 1,200 migrants leaves from Punjab to Jharkhand

The first Shramik Express train carrying 1,200 stranded migrant workers left for Daltonganj in Jharkhand from the Jalandhar railway station in Punjab on Tuesday, officials said.

All the passengers, who were stranded in Jalandhar due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, were screened by the health teams before being allowed to board the train, they said.

The state government will bear the rail travel cost of Rs 7.12 lakh, the officials said.

"The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today facilitated the free home-going of 1,200 migrants stranded in the city, as first 'Shramik Express' train chugged off to Daltonganj, Jharkhand at a cost of Rs 7. 12 lakh, which was being borne by the state government," said an official release of the Jalandhar district administration.

The railways is running Shramik Special trains to move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded in various parts of the country since March 25.

On Monday, the Punjab chief minister had said his government would pay the train fare of the migrant labourers.

These migrants, who had enrolled themselves on the portal of the state government, were informed through SMSes and phone calls about the schedule of the train, said the release.

They were brought in batches in special buses to the railway station. Right from medical screening to boarding the train, elaborate arrangements were put in place for maintaining social distancing among the migrants, it said.

The entire station area was sanitised, said a release issued by the Ferozepur division of the railways.

The train left at 1:20 pm and will reach Jharkhand at 9:30 am on Wednesday, the release said.

The railways hopes to run many more such special trains from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda as per the request of the Punjab government with the consent of the destination state government, it said.

The Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner said more such trains will be running for Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Sultanpur, Katni (Madhya Pradesh), Jharkhand and others.

He said the administration has already made elaborate arrangements to facilitate the movement of migrants from Jalandhar.