KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said over 2,500 people from the state stranded in Rajasthan and Kerala will begin their journey back home on Monday in two special trains.
They will be screened on their arrival as per guidelines, she said.
"As a part of our promise to bring back citizens of Bengal stranded in other states, 2 special trains from Ajmer & Kerala would leave tomorrow for West Bengal carrying more than 2500 migrant laborers, pilgrims, students & patients. Everyone coming in to be screened as per protocols," she wrote on Twitter.
All of them were stranded due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Earlier this week, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allowed the states to ferry migrant laborers, students, and tourists back home in buses or special trains.
Earlier, the state government had given its consent to bring back around 1,200 pilgrims stranded in Ajmer, officials said.
The Rajasthan government, in a recent communication to the West Bengal chief secretary, had said that the pilgrims will travel on a special train from Ajmer Sharif to Howrah.
In a missive to the Rajasthan government, the state had said that the train should arrive preferably before early afternoon so that necessary arrangements for screening and bus movement to different districts can be organized.
The West Bengal government had also requested for stoppages at Durgapur and Dankuni so as to ensure proper dispersal of the passengers, the officials said.
On Friday, nearly 1,700 students returned to West Bengal from Rajasthan's Kota, the coaching hub for engineering and medical aspirants, and have been put up at different camps for health check-ups.