A day after a special train was flagged off from Lingampally in Telangana for Hatia in Jharkhand, the Union home ministry said on Saturday gave a green nod to Indian Railways which started six special passenger trains across the country.
Six “Shramik (worker) special” trains, carrying migrants, students and others stranded by the coronavirus lockdown, departed from Kerala, Telangana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan on Friday. According to the official report, the trains were organised on request from the respective states upon repeated urges from the stranded citizens. The railway ministry will designate nodal officers for coordination with states and Union Territories, the home ministry order said.
It was also informed that a high-level meeting was held between the state officials and those from the railways for proper coordination on the train’s arrival. As per the Railways spokesperson, only 54 passengers are allowed per coach, which has a capacity of 72 in order to follow social distancing norms.
Disinfectants were being sprayed in around the Hatia railway station before the arrival of the train. By all accounts, about 10 million migrant workers have been stranded in different parts of the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nation-wide lockdown on March 24.
