E-Paper
Bihar: 70 trains in so far, 51 more coming
PATNA
PATNA
Even as 17 special trains with 20,629 migrants and students pulled over in different parts of the state, the Bihar government reacted strongly to the controversy over denial of permission to the Karnataka government to run special trains to Bihar.
“This is absolutely wrong. Nobody has stopped people from coming from Karnataka. In fact, two trains, one on May 3 and other on May 6, have already arrived here. State government has also given consent to run eight more trains. Opposition is unnecessary propagating such rumours,” said Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Disaster management department’s principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit said that as per the protocol laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the originating states send a request for no-objection certificate (NOC) to destination state. “States making request are given in-principle permission and are asked to send a passengers’ list. With regard to Karnataka, two trains had already arrived while eight others are lined up between May 8 and May 15,” said Amrit. “If the trains did not run, it might be due to their own problems,” he said.
The principal secretary said that state had issued NOC to run 121 trains, including those from the states like Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
“What we have definitely done is to have asked each state to send us passengers’ list as it helps in proper routing, selection of stations, earmarking buses, quarantine centres etc. We have also ensured that 15-18 trains reach different destinations per day,” said the principal secretary. “This is one of the biggest evacuation drive taken by the state,” he said.
Secretary IPRD Anupam Kumar said that between May 1 and 8, 70 trains have been operated and a total of 82,544 migrants and students have reached different places in state.
Kumar said that on Saturday (May 9), 15 more trains would be reaching state with 18,115 people. The secretary said that with regard to reverse migration, the respective district magistrates have been authorized to issue e-passes of vehicles to all those who want to return.
