Coronavirus lockdown: Sunday Shramik special to carry 1,200 migrants from Rajasthan to Bihar

Barmer administration says it will request for another train to carry remaining migrant workers to Bihar

A Shramik special train with 1,200 labourers from Bihar will leave from Rajasthan’s Barmer district on Sunday. District collector Vishram Meena told HT that the train will be bound for Motihari district in Bihar with the first batch of a total of 1,665 Bihar labourers who have registered in Barmer to return home.

Railways is running Shramik special services to move migrants during the lockdown (HT Photo/Representative)

The DC said that earlier the administration planned to send them back in busses but requested for a special train due to the large numbers. Meena said that after the request for a special train has been granted, the state is planning to ask for one more train to carry the remaining 465 workers in Barmer along with a similar number of workers from Bihar stranded in Jodhpur.

He said talks were on with Jodhpur district administration so that the remaining migrants from both the district could be returned to Bihar.

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The district administration is also taking care to follow the protocol for such journey.

“Buses have been moved to blocks to gather all labourers at the district headquarter. As per the government guideline, medical department has been asked to conduct medical screening of all the workers before they are allowed to enter the railway station,” said Meena. Social distancing must be followed, he added.

Meena said the workers will not have to pay any fare as the Rajasthan government has decided to bear the cost of their journey.