E-Paper
First train to north-east from Haryana to leave this week
Gurugram: The Haryana government is arranging the first shramik special train to ferry migrants to Guwahati in Assam later this week. The train is scheduled to leave
Gurugram: The Haryana government is arranging the first shramik special train to ferry migrants to Guwahati in Assam later this week. The train is scheduled to leave Gurugram railway station between May 22 and May 24, according to officials aware of the matter.
Dalbir Duggal, nodal officer for the repatriation of migrants to the north-east, said, “The date of the train is still tentative. We urge those seeking to travel on this train to register on Haryana’s online portal for migrants. We will arrange special buses to bring migrants from other districts to Gurugram, where they will be screened for symptoms of Covid-19 before being allowed to board the train.”
Punung Kipa, an Assamese migrant who has been stuck in Gurugram since the lockdown began in late March, said many like him were hoping to catch the train to Guwahati this week. “There are hundreds of us from the north-east who have been waiting for a way back. We initially tried to walk to Delhi, but the border has been shut so we are stuck here. We want to go back home,” Kipa said.
Multiple migrants from northeastern states other than Assam also said they will be attempting to make the journey via the special train later this week. Guyjom Ingo, from Arunachal Pradesh, said, “We will go to Guwahati and then see what arrangements are being made for further travel. It will do even if we are able to get a train to West Bengal. We just want to get close to home.”
Between May 21 and May 26, 38 special trains are expected to leave Haryana for Assam, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. According to information shared by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, over 188,000 migrants have been transported to their home states via special trains and buses, as of May 19 morning.
