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Shramik special train brings back 992 J&K residents from Bengaluru
The train reached Udhampur at 11 am after a delay of several hours and the passengers, including students and labourers, deboarded it as per the guidelines and moved to an identified holding area before being sent to their home districts in buses.
A special train from Bengaluru carrying 992 passengers reached Udhampur on Tuesday.
The train reached Udhampur at 11 am after a delay of several hours and the passengers, including students and labourers, deboarded it as per the guidelines and moved to an identified holding area before being sent to their home districts in buses.
The special train, which had left Chikkabanavara station in Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon, was the first passenger rail service in Jammu and Kashmir during the lockdown in effect since March 25.
Shramik special trains were operationalised after a directive by the ministry of home affairs allowing the movement of migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded in different places.
Udhamur district commissioner Piyush Singla said, “The first train from Bengaluru carrying 992 passengers, including students and labourers reached Udhampur on Tuesday.”
To make the entire process hassle-free various arrangements were put in place. There were 44 data entry operators, two each at a single bogie. The train had 22 bogies and each bogie carried around 40 passengers.
Singla said that as soon as the train reached Udhampur, the details of passengers were entered by the data operators into an app transit management information system.
The registration process took around 40 minutes.
“All the returnees have to be tested for Covid-19 and undergo administrative quarantine without exception. Only if the tests come negative, can they be sent for home quarantine for 14 days,” said Singla.
The Udhampur administration has created a fresh sample collection capacity of 1,000 per day for the train returnees.
“In the entire process the norms of social distancing and other guidelines of the Centre and UT were strictly followed,” he added.
Singla said another train with 728 passengers is to reach here from Goa on Tuesday.
It may be stated here that inflow through trains was preceded by the regulated road transportation of the stranded persons via Lakhanpur and the airlifting of Kashmiri students from Bangladesh.
As per a rough estimate, over one lakh J&K residents are stranded in different parts of the country.
Special train from Delhi to Jammu on May 13, 14
Jammu: The first run of the special train will start on 13 May from New Delhi and 14 May from Jammu Tawi. The special train will leave New Delhi at 9.10 pm and will reach Jammu Tawi the next day at 5.45 am. It will leave Jammu Tawi at 8.10 pm and reach New Delhi the next day at 5 am.
Chetan Taneja, station director and senior divisional traffic manager of the railways, said, “A special train will run from New Delhi on May 13 and it will reach Jammu Tawi the next morning.”
