The Haryana government has decided to send migrant workers stuck in their state back to their native states in the course of next week. They will be allowed to travel in the special Shramik trains without charging any fare as the government will bear all expenses. Such a special Shramik train departed from Haryana to West Bengal on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the first special train bound for NewCooch-Behar, in West Bengal, carrying 1,600 workers, left the Gurugram railway station at 6 pm on Thursday. The workers chanted ‘Jai Haryana’ slogans and thanked the Haryana government for coming to their aid in the times of Covid-19 lockdown. Some of these workers also include people from Bihar. At the railway station, their health checkup was done and they were provided with food, water and sanitisation. Masks were provided to each passenger after thermal scanning.
Thereafter, each worker was given a ticket to board the train. Food packets and water was distributed among the workers at the railway station. Soaps and sanitizers were kept in all the compartments of the train. There were female passengers and children also in the train who were given toys, biscuits and chocolates. This was the 13th special train that ferried registered workers from one state to another on the basis of a medical fitness certificate.