CHENNAI: Ending over a month’s ordeal for migrant labourers stranded in Chennai, the authorities have decided to operate special trains to transport around 2,500 labourers back to their home towns in North and North-Eastern states in the next few days.
In the backdrop of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) nod for inter-state migration of workers, the Greater Chennai Corporation held a meeting with the migrant labourers, who are at present lodged at various shelters run by the corporation in the city.
“Almost all workers and their family members expressed desire to leave Chennai. So we have prepared the list and handed it over to the government for arranging special trains,” a corporation official said.
On March 22 and 23, a large number of labourers, while returning to their home towns from Kerala, got stranded in Chennai due to the sudden declaration of lockdown and subsequent cancellation of trains. Most of the labourers hail from West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The very next day, all labourers gathered in-front of the Central Station and demanded operation of special trains to take them home. As the Railway couldn’t sanction the operation, the labourers were lodged at shelters.
“As per the MHA guidelines, thermal scanning will be conducted on workers before their journey. No other medical test is scheduled and all asymptotic persons will be sent,” added the official.
“It may take a few more days to finalise the total number people who desire to leave the State and accordingly a request will be made to the Southern Railway for transportation,” said officers privy to the developments, adding that assessment of travel demands from across the State is underway with the help of labour and revenue departments’ staff. When contacted, Southern Railway officials maintained that they will operate special trains based on the request from the State government.