Shramik Special Trains for Migrant Workers
The government has organised transport for migrant workers stuck across the country due to the lockdown. Watch our latest video to learn all about it.
There were protests by migrant workers all over the country demanding the government to let them go home. Amid the lockdown, with no mode of travel available, many workers decided to travel on foot. Few of them
also lost their lives while walking due to health problems or accidents. On Saturday 2nd May, 18 migrant workers were caught as they were traveling to Uttar Pradesh from Maharashtra inside a cement mixer. They were caught near Indore, MP. On Friday 1 st May 2020 on the occasion of the Labour Day, Government allowed “Shramik Special” trains for migrant workers to travel to their hometowns.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued guidelines to allow the movement of such people by railways. The ‘Shramik Special’ trains would transport migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims, students and others, who were stuck. The First such special train took about 1,200 migrant workers from Lingampalli (Telangana) to Hatia (Jharkhand) at around 5 am. More trains could be run depending on requests from the State governments.All passengers will be screened by the State Government and only those found asymptomatic would be allowed to travel.
The State governments will arrange to bring these people to the railway station in batches in sanitized buses following social distancing rules.
They will also have to provide face masks, drinking water and meals at the originating (starting) station to all passengers. However there was a lot of news going around that the migrant workers were being made to pay for the tickets.
This turned into a political blame game and the opposition parties have said it is not right for the government to make migrant workers pay.
A migrant worker from Gujarat said to travel from [Box 07 Gujarat to UP he paid Rs 639 and also had to pay for his food and water.
Now Congress President [Box 08 Sonia Gandhi said that the [Box 09 Congress will pay for the workers tickets to travel home.
The [Box 10 Central government said that 85% of the cost of ticket is being borne by the [Box 11 Indian Railways and 15% state government has to pay. SL costs Rs 30 and Special Train is Rs 50.
