BENGALURU: Over 50,000 migrant workers have been sent via Karnataka’s Transport Corporations in the State so far. On Monday, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) alone sent over 30,000 from Bengaluru in 776 buses to 101 various other cities across the state. Several of the buses have travelled towards North Karnataka, Raichur, Ballari, Yadgir and Koppal among some major destinations.
The last bus left the city at 6pm, according to a KSRTC official.
Vinay Sreenivasa of Bengaluru Bus Pranayanikara Vedike told TNIE, “There is still some confusion on the ground. However, the situation is better than the first day since one-time travel has been announced for migrants. It is a good sign also for them since the Chief Minister announced two more days of free travel.”
According to the state government’s standard operating procedure (SOP), those who want to leave or come back to Karnataka will have to submit an online application at sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in.
The online applications can also be submitted through BangaloreOne centres and BBMP (civic body) ward offices in Bengaluru and in other districts as decided by the deputy commissioners.The applicants will be screened by health department authorities, it said, adding that all applications will be sorted state-wise, and once the receiving state concurs, permission will be given to travel. State transport corporations will arrange for a bus in consultation with nodal officers for the movement, which will be sanitized and where social distancing will be maintained.
It was observed that due to fake WhatsApp messages doing the rounds, several of the migrant workers had appeared in front of the local police stations seeking registration passes to travel back to their hometown. In one of the messages, a bus to Odisha was mentioned and requested workers to travel to Marathahalli police station for registration.
DCP (Whitefield) M N Anucheth, whose division alone has up to 12,000 migrant workers, told TNIE that the police do not complete the registration process for migrant workers. “We are collecting their details for our own data purposes. It has nothing to do with the registration,” he said.
On Monday, two ‘Shramik Special’ trains departed from Bengaluru — one to Jaipur at 3.20 pm from Chikkabanavara railway station and another at 7.05 pm towards Dhanapur from Malur railway station. Around 1,200 passengers had travelled in each train after permission from their respective state governments, a senior officer from South Western Railway (SWR) said.Around 7,200 passengers were provided travel back home by trains on Sunday and Monday.