New Delhi, May 2, Even as the cancellation of all passenger train services on Indian Railways has been extended till May 17, movement of migrant workers and students stranded at different places was carried out by Shramik Special trains for the second day on Saturday.
Hours after the nationwide lockdown was extended for the second time by a fortnight to clamp down on the
Coronavirus pandemic, a special train carrying more than 1,200 stranded migrant labourers rolled out from Telangana and headed to Hatia in Jharkhand on Friday night.
An official release here said that movement of migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places shall be carried out by Shramik Special trains, as required by the State Governments, in terms of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Freight and parcel train operations would continue, as at present, it said.
According to reports, after reaching Hatia, the Jharkhand government transported the passengers to their respective districts in sanitised buses, following COVID-19 protocol.
Relief was written large over the faces of the migrant labourers who had been caught unawares by the COVID-19 outbreak. The stranded workers were welcomed with roses by senior officials on their arrival at the Hatia railway station.
Due to the lockdown, the process of returning home of lakhs of labourers, students and other people of Jharkhand trapped in various states has started. After the request of Jharkhand Government and cooperation of other states, the first special train to reach the labourers went home in lockdown. On the initiative of the Telangana Government, a special train of 24 coaches carrying 1,176 labourers from Lingampalli in Telangana reached Hatia in Ranchi late on Friday night.
Railways extends cancellation of passenger train services
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