The first batch of migrant workers, who arrived in Jharkhand’s Ranchi from Lingampalli in Telangana on board the special train around midnight on Friday, were greeted with roses and packets of food before being sent for their forward journey to their home districts.
Ch Rakesh, South Central Railway’s chief spokesperson, had said a “one-off special train” was run on the request of the Telangana government.
Later on Friday, the Union home ministry allowed interstate movement of labourers, students, pilgrims and others stuck across the country by special trains, widening the scope of a previous order that said such transportation can happen only by buses.
The Indian Railways said it decided to run ‘Shramik Special’ trains to move stranded migrants following demands of the state governments to run special trains. The railways said the Shramik Special trains were meant for “nominated people” identified by state governments.
The other special trains to run on Friday were from Aluva in Kerala to Bhubaneswar, Nasik to Lucknow, Nasik to Bhopal, Jaipur to Patna and Kota to Hatia. These trains were scheduled to run non-stop and cover the distance to the destinations in 12 to 24 hours.
The special train from Telangana reached at Hatia railway station, a satellite station of Jharkhand capital of Ranchi, where all arrangements for their arrival and departure for the forward journey in buses were made.
“Arrangement of roses and food packets was done so that they can feel at ease. It was placed at the temporary kiosks at the station for the administration and health workers who handed it over to the workers besides conducting their thermal scanning,” a Ranchi district official said.
Most of the 1200 stranded workers who arrived belong to Palamu and Garhwa districts, around 200 kilometres northwest of the state capital.
These workers boarded the buses outside Hatia station after registering their details with the waiting administration officials.
The data has been shared with the respective district administration who would transport these workers to their natives and do the needful of their medical examination and putting them quarantine, an official said.
