Shramik trains from Ludhiana: All hands on deck, six hours of overnight planning

It takes concerted efforts from police, railways, district administration, municipal corporation, health department and roadways since the wee hours to ensure passengers successfully leave on the special trains

After the first Shramik Special train left Ludhiana for Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, at 10.15pm on Tuesday, the government machinery had just six hours to ensure arrangements for the next train scheduled to leave for Bareilly at 8am the following day.

Roadways staff giving train tickets to passengers after ferrying them to the Ludhiana railway station on Wednesday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

From arranging transportation, food, medical screening and boarding, the various departments spent a sleepless night to ensure the migrants successfully boarded the train on Wednesday.

Over 1,200 persons, including 900 police personnel, 150 railway employees and others from the district administration, municipal corporation, health department and roadways, were on job to put in concerted efforts.

Catching just a few hours of shut-eye, police personnel from different stations were deployed at 28 pick-up points at 3am to help migrants board the buses while ensuring social distancing. Apart from this, police force, along with around 100 Anti-Riot Police personnel, were deployed near the railway station to maintain law and order.

Employees of the MC, roadways and health department were tasked with conducting medical screening and transporting the passengers from pick-up points to ISBT to railway station starting 5am. They also checked the identity cards of the passengers and provided them tickets.

Health department staff screening passengers before they are sent to the railway station in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Railways’ employees , including 82 ticket checking staff and over 100 railway police personnel, manned the entry gates of the station and train coaches, while also checking the passengers’ tickets and medical certificates before helping them board the trains.

“We never think how long we have to work or how many hours we will get to rest. We work as per the orders from our seniors,” a railway employee said, wishing anonymity.

Government Railway Police helping passengers board a train at the Ludhiana railway station on Wednesday. The district administration provided them food for the journey. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Meanwhile, the administration arranged over 2,000 packets of food, each including rice, three chapattis, dal and vegetables, which were distributed among the migrants on the trains.

Assistant commissioner of police Gurdev Singh said the police and the administration had been on their toes since March 22. “From managing movement of migrants to maintaining the law and order in the city and serving langar among the needy to providing essential supplies at the doorsteps, the police force has been giving it their all,” he added.