JAIPUR: The first batch of stranded migrant workers in Rajasthan left for home in a ‘Shramik Special’ train from Jaipur to Patna on Friday night, marking a success for the initiative of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who had been urging the Centre to operate special trains to move migrants stuck across the country due to the lockdown.
It was an emotional moment at the railway station as the migrants were given a warm sendoff by Jaipur's COVID-19 warriors including policemen, railway officials, Railway Police Force and other administrative officials. They lined up at the platform at midnight to see off the 1200 migrant workers and continued clapping as the train chugged off.
Though the train was originally scheduled to leave at 10 pm, it got delayed by two hours as a group of migrants who had registered to go on it could not turn up in time. These migrants had to first come by buses from Nagaur district and after they arrived in Jaipur, they had to go through a screening process and only then could they be seated in the train.
Earlier, the first group of students from Jharkhand left Kota in a special train at around 10 pm. The train with around 1200 students from coaching institutes in Kota departed after it was fully sanitized with a spray of hypochloride.
A total of 14.86 lakh migrants and workers registered online with the state government to go to their home states till Friday night. While 8 lakh migrant workers have registered for returning to Rajasthan, 6 lakh migrant workers want to move away from the desert state.
Till Saturday night, around one lakh people have been transported through buses and trains.
From Saturday, five special trains will be operated daily for the movement of these migrants and the Rajasthan government has formed a special committee of four IAS officers to resolve all issues of workers and migrants in the state.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his happiness on the train services starting and said his government was coordinating with the Centre so that all migrant workers and stranded students are safely sent back home.
"Our government is making all efforts to ensure maximum trains are being run from Rajasthan to send migrant labourers and students back to their home states. We are continuously coordinating with other states to ensure these people reach their homes safely," Gehlot said.
Gehlot also said, "Besides special trains, bus services should also be finalized to transport migrants. The elderly, pregnant women and children among the migrants should be transported on priority as they need to reach their homes at the earliest."
According to latest reports, a total of 38,050 migrants have been sent out of the state and over 20,000 migrants have been brought back to the state. Until now, all the migrants were being transported in buses. Gehlot said the process of moving migrants by buses will continue even though the special trains have started.