CHENNAI: The State government has started operating buses to transport stranded migrant labourers to their hometowns in neighbouring States. The move comes amid plans to operate special trains to ferry the workers getting entangled in administrative issues.
Starting Thursday, the State started operating special buses to send back workers to neighbouring Kerala and AP. However, any clear plan is yet to be made to use the buses to bring back TN natives stranded in other States, said officials. “About 30 workers from AP who had been stranded in Thanjavur were transported to East Godavari and 20 workers were shifted to Kerala in SETC buses,” said official sources.
On Friday, about 30 students from Maharashtra who had been stranded in Chennai, were transported to Salem in an SETC bus. From there, they would be travelling to native places in a private bus.
A senior official from SETC said, “We operate buses on select routes based only on direction from nodal officers in respective States and district collectors in TN. As of now, we have not been asked to involve in any large-scale transportation of workers.” Over 2.7 lakh migrant workers have registered with the State to return to their home States.