Madgaon railway station platforms in Goa to provide shelter to homeless

The Disaster Management Authority in Goa will take over platforms of the Madgaon railway station to provide shelter to the homeless people in the wake of the lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to an order.

Three persons, all with travel history to abroad, tested positive in Goa for the deadly COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The order from Ajit Roy, the collector and chairperson of the South Goa District Disaster Management Authority, has issued a requisition under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, of the services of all platforms and station premises of the Madgaon railway station, which belongs to the Konkan Railway, for shelter homes effective immediately.

The requisition has been made to the station master of the railway station.

Madgaon railway station in Goa has direct rail connection with several major cities in India like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It has four platforms, which will now be used as shelters for the homeless.

Goa has a steady onslaught of migrant population coming into the state for employment and in the decade preceding 2011, 1.35-lakh people migrated there from other states, according to the Census 2011.

Goa receives the most migrants from its neighbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, the data revealed.

While persons from Karnataka migrated the most into Goa, with over 53,000 shifting residence to the state, Maharashtra came second with 30,644 migrating from there to Goa, as per Census 2011.