150 Sharmik trains moved with 1.80 lakh migrants
Two Sharmik Express trains leave Ferozepur for Gonda district ferrying 2,390 migrant workers
Ferozepur, May 16, 2020: Owing to the strenuous efforts of the state government today two ‘Shramik Express’ trains with 1190 and 1200 migrants onboard chugged off one in the morning and one in the late evening, from Ferozepur Cantt railway station to Gonda district of Utter Pradesh.
Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur Kulwant Singh flagged off the fourth train on Saturday afternoon while the second train in the evening by SDM Amit Gupta.
Since the taking of a decision by the state governments, for shifting the migrants from Punjab to various other states of their home towns, the railways have so far moved more than 150 Shramik trains with more than 1.80 lakh migrants to Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand.
Out of total 150, maximum trains (57) have gone from Ludhiana with another 45 trains Jalandhar have taken migrants to different parts of the country. Other places from where trains have departed include Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Sirhind.
The state government to facilitate return of migrant workers to their home states, as per the directions of centre government decision, arrangement were made to shift them to their home districts, in view of shutting down of industry and other production houses or having no work in view of the lockdown because of the corona virus threat in the country. The migrants from 8 districts of Malwa region – Bahtinda, Barnala, Mansa, Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur and one of Majha region Tarn Taran had boarded from Ferozepur.
As of now total 6000 migrant labourers, in five trains, have been sent to their homes from Ferozepur, Punjab government has spent around 30 Lakhs on the operation on these trains from Ferozepur Cantt station.
Maximum trains are going to U.P. followed by Bihar and Jharkhand. Punjab government is also sending trains to Chattisgarh, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
The Punjab government was bearing the entire expenses of the operations of these trains. Apart from this state government was also providing refreshment, water bottles and other basic needs for the migrants who were moving to their native state in the trains.
Pertinently, the Punjab Government has sanctioned a whopping amount in the first phase, towards its share of the migrants’ cost of transportation by the Indian Railways. The state government is making all payments to the Railways directly for providing tickets to the registered passengers thereby enabling them to go to their native states free of cost.
Likewise, a team of the Health department was screening every migrant who was coming to the station for boarding the train. The district administration had made adequate arrangements for maintaining social distancing amongst the passengers before boarding the train. Besides other facilities, at the entrance of the railway station all the migrant laborers were being provided with the food packets, water bottles, face masks and many more facilities.