PALAKKAD/KOZHIKODE/KANNUR: As many as 2,754 migrant labourers left the state for their native places in Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in three separate special trains from Palakkad and Kozhikode on Wednesday. The labourers were subjected to medical screening to rule out Covid-19 symptoms before they were allowed to board the trains. The first train carrying 1,208 migrant labourers left for Jagannathpur in Odisha from Palakkad Junction at 4.50 am. The workers who were living in different parts of the district were made to register their names in all six taluks and the exercise was overseen by the respective tahsildars.
Ottappalam Sub-Collector Arjun Pandian, the nodal officer for coordinating the activities of the migrant travel, SP Shiv Vikram and Assistant Collector Chetan Kumar Meena, apart from officials of the Railways, labour, revenue, health and police departments, were present at the Palakkad Junction railway station to see off the migrants.
A total of 37 KSRTC buses were arranged to bring labourers from different parts of the district. Each bus carried only around 30 passengers. All 1,208 workers were issued medical certificates before they left for Odisha. Each worker was given a food kit which included chappatis, vegetable curry, a packet of bread, jam and four bottles of drinking water.
Two trains from Kozhikode
From Kozhikode railway station, a train each was run to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. As many as 1,189 workers left for Katihar district of Bihar in the first train at 5pm. All of them were from Thamarassery taluk. The workers were taken to the railway station in 39 KSRTC buses after medical screening. District Collector Sambashiva Rao and Sub-Collector G S Priyanka, DCP Chaitra Theresa John and Deputy Collector Anita Kumari led the preparations.
The train to Madhya Pradesh left at 10pm with 357 guest workers, who were taken to the Kozhikode railway station in 15 KSRTC buses from Kannur district. The migrant labourers were camping in 25 local bodies in the district. The district administration had also arranged food packets needed for them during the journey. On Thursday, a train will depart from the Kannur railway station to Uttar Pradesh and another train will depart to Jharkhand on May 8. Last Sunday, 1,140 migrant labourers from Bihar staying in various parts of Kannur district had gone back to their home state.