Shramik Special trains ferry 7,000 migrants from Maharashtra

More than 7,000 migrant workers have travelled to their home states from Maharashtra in Shramik Special trains since Saturday. The trains are operating from multiple

More than 7,000 migrant workers have travelled to their home states from Maharashtra in Shramik Special trains since Saturday. The trains are operating from multiple locations in Maharashtra and are going to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

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“Trains are being organised as per the demand raised by the state government. The state government is taking permission from other states and only after the permission is received, the train departs,’’ said a senior railway official on condition of anonymity. Shramik Special trains have 24 coaches. Each coach carries 54 workers, who are seated so that the middle berths remain vacant to maintain social distancing.

So far, from Nashik road station, 847 migrant workers have travelled to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and 314 have gone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. From Bhiwandi station, 1,104 workers have travelled to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and 700 have gone to Jaipur, in Rajasthan. From Nagpur station, 977 workers have travelled to Lucknow and 1,200 travelled to Lucknow from Akola. From Vasai Road station, 1,200 workers have travelled to Gorakhpur. On Tuesday evening, 1,200 workers set off from Kalyan to Darbhanga in Bihar.

To get a seat on a Shramik Special train , workers must submit an application to the district collector’s office and have medical certificates to prove they are Covid-negative. The workers selected for travel are taken to the railway stations in buses organised by the state.

Preference is being given to those with families, the elderly and those who have journeyed on foot. While there is a ticket fee, Railways authorities said 85% of the ticket fee would be borne by the Railways and 15% would be borne by the state. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked the Centre to bear the cost of the workers’ tickets.