On Friday, Railways ran a special train to ferry 1,200 stranded migrants from Lingampally in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand, a first since the lockdown began.
The state government has made adequate arrangements for the testing and quarantine of the migrants returning to the state from the special non-stop train. The railways have suspended the passenger, mail and express train services in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19. RPF DG Arun Kumar told PTI, "The 24 coach train started at 4.50 am today (Friday). It's the only train to be deployed so far."
Giving a huge relief to people stuck in various states, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday allowed movement of such people - including migrant labours, workers, students, tourists and others - and also provided the procedure for the same. MHA has included a sub-clause regarding the movement of people who are stranded due to lockdown announced last month due to coronavirus outbreak.
"Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move as under," MHA said while asking States to designate nodal authorities to facilitate the process.
