E-Paper
Chaos at Ludhiana railway station as migrants from Jharkhand look for train that wasn’t
While one train left from Jalandhar in the morning, the plan for another train from Ludhiana was dropped after the Jharkhand government expressed reservations about receiving two trains in a day
Lack of coordination within the Jharkhand government regarding Shramik Special trains from Punjab left over 70 migrants high and dry as they reached the local railway station to board a train back home, only to find none was leaving.
The first two Shramik Special trains were planned from Punjab for Tuesday - one from Ludhiana for Uttar Pradesh and another from Jalandhar for Jharkhand.
Ludhiana was also on track to send a train to Jharkhand on Tuesday itself, but the plan was dropped after the Jharkhand government expressed reservations about receiving two trains in a day.
Despite this, Jharkhand minister for drinking water and sanitation Mithilesh Kumar Thakur tweeted on Monday night about “two trains starting from Ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab”. The tweet read, “Ghar vaapsi ke ishuk saare shramik bandhu kripya samaye se station pahuch jaaye (All stranded migrants willing to return home should reach at respective stations as per timings of trains)”. The information was also published in Jharkhand-based dailies.
Besides, administrations of various districts also notified migrants over phone to reach the Ludhiana railway station.
Consequently, chaos was the order of the day at the Ludhiana railway station as migrants turned up to leave for Jharkhand. Holding on to their luggage, the hopeful migrants showed the tweet and news clippings to the cops, who only turned them away.
Waiting for a solution, they sat on the roadside near Jagraon Bridge, without food or water. They had arrived from Jeewan Nagar in Focal Point, Makkar Colony in Giaspura and Punjabi Bagh in Jawaddi.
Many claimed they had also applied on the Punjab Helpline Portal on May 2 to travel to Jharkhand.
“I got a call around 9am on Tuesday from the Palamu district administration to reach the Ludhiana railway station by 10.30am as the train will leave at 11am,” said Sarfat Ansari, 36, who hails from Palamu district in Jharkhand.
A tailor at a hosiery unit, he had decided to return home after getting no salary from his employer or ration from the Ludhiana administration.
Rajak Ansari, 35, from Makkar Colony wished to travel to Ranchi. “I have vacated my rented accommodation. Now, I don’t know what to do. I waited for two hours with my wife and children, but nobody from the district administration or police came to guide us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Youth Akali Dal leader Gurdeep Singh Gosha reached the spot and distributed packaged water glasses and biscuits among those waiting.
Eventually, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sukhpal Singh Brar reached the spot around 1pm and apprised the workers of the change from Jharkhand government’s end.
He guided them that they will be informed through Ludhiana administration whenever the next train will be available, and their nearest police station will assist them.
After he directed the police force to help the workers go back home in Ludhiana, three pick-up trucks were deployed.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal has clarified that the administration was sending text messages to migrant workers shortlisted to board the special trains. The text message will include the date and venue where these workers can board a bus near their residence, and from there, only the shortlisted workers will be transported to the railway station and provided train tickets.
ANTI-RIOT POLICE DEPLOYED OUTSIDE STATION
To manage law the and order, the commissioner of police has deployed 100 personnel of the Anti-Riot Police (ARP) outside the railway station, apart from the personnel from the Division Number 1 police station. The police are further coordinating with Government Railway Police to manage the rush of passengers and ensure their safety.
