2.60 lakh migrant workers moved from Punjab in 250 Shramik special trains
Ferozepur, May 21, 2020: Today, 250th Shramik special train moved from Ferozepur Cantt railway station for Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) at 7 pm which includes 208 trains from Ferozepur rail division and 42 from Ambala division.
It was 200th Shramik special train from Ludhiana for Sasaram and today 9th and 10th from Ferozepur Cantt for and Varanasi with 560 and 750 passengers.
Divulging more, Rajesh Aggarwal, Divisional Rail Manager, Ferozepur Division said, as of today 217 Shramik special trains have moved from Ferozepur division – 113 from Ludhiana, 63 Jalandhar, 25 Amritsar, 10 Ferozepur Cantt, 5 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and one from Gurdaspur for other states – 150 for UP, 45 Bihar, 7 Madhya Pradesh, 6 Jharkhand, 4 Chattisgarh and one each for Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala and Utrakhand, carrying around 2.60 lakh passengers to their destinations.
The trains which have reached Ferozepur division are Karnataka 3, 2 each from Goa, UP and Delhi and one each from Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Madhya Pardesh and Maharashtra and 7 Udhampur railway station, said DRM.
In the country, the maximum Shramim special trains have moved from Punjab after Gujarat and Ferozepur stands first with 76 percent, in running Shramik special trains timely, he added.
The Shramik special trains are being operated as per the directions of the Government of India on the demand of state governments, to ensure the movement of migrant workers along with their family members, to their home districts, by making close liaison at the receiving ends, said DRM adding that 85 percent has been extended by the railways in tickets, despite making arrangements for food and water during the journey free of cost while state governments are making similar arrangements before boarding the train including medical checkup and bringing them from other districts to the railway the station, said DRM.
The railways have made arrangements to escort the trains by RPF jawans for the safe journey of migrants to their home destinations.