KALABURAGI: A special Shramik Express carrying 1200 migrant labourers stranded in Mumbai arrived at Kalaburagi Railway Station at 2.00 am on Tuesday.
Kalaburagi MP Dr. Umesh Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner Sharat B, CEO of ZP Raja P., Deputy Commissioner of Police Kishor Babu and Kalaburagi Railway station Manager Prasad Rao were present in the Railway Station to felicitate the migrant labourers for thermal screening, stamping seal on their hands and sending them to the institutional quarantine centres nearer to their natives.
Kalaburagi district administration did not allow crowding while the passengers got down from the train. Only after arranging the migrant labourers in single bogie to go the designated bus, the passengers of other bogies were allowed to get down.
The sources said that of the 1230 passengers who came in Shramik Express, about 800 are from Chitapur taluk, 180 are from other taluks of the district and 250 labourers are from different taluks of Yadgir district.
Another Shramik Express is expected to reach Kalaburagi within a day or two.
Speaking with Express, Chittapur Tahasildar Umakant Halli said that immediately after completion of formalities like screening and stamping seal on the hands of the labourers, 800 labourers were taken to quarantine centres near Nalawar, Gundagurti, Alolli and other villages. In all, 7 institutional quarantine centres have been established especially for the labourers who have come by the train on Tuesday morning.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Yadgir Prakash Rajput told that all the 250 labourers of Yadgir district have been put in institutional quarantine near Shahapur.
The sources said that throat swab test of these migrant labourers would be carried out on the 12th day of their arrival to the quarantine center and they would be allowed to go to their homes only if the result of the test is negative.
Speaking with Express, one of the labourers, Saibanna Lambani of Nalwar said that the labourers who have come in the train belonged to different villages and were working in different parts of Mumbai. All were happy as many of them have starved for days as no one cared for them. Initially, the government and the philanthropists gave food but it was stopped later. Now we are happy that we are closer to our near and dears, we are ready to face difficulties now as we are in our motherland, he said.