On India's Shramik special trains, migrants complain of long delays – with little food or water
Many say that trains stop in open fields or at stations where all food stalls are shut
by Balaram Menon, Digital Content EditorMigrants board a Shramik special train to leave for their native places, in Jabalpur. A senior railway ministry official on Tuesday said that till Monday, 3,274 Shramik sSpecial trains have been run and ferried 4.4 million passengers to their home states.Image Credit: PTIA worker sanitises the luggage of migrants who have arrived from Mangalore by a 'Shramik Special' train at Jodhpur railway station. Railways plans to run 100 pairs of special trains from June 1.Image Credit: PTIMigrants arrive at Jasidih Junction railway station by Shramik Special train, in Deoghar. Several reports have emerged of trains being hugely delayed. In addition, passengers said they were not served food or water even as their journeys stretched on for days.Image Credit: PTIMigrants onboard Shramik Special train leave for their native places, in Jabalpur. Some recent reports also say that around 40 shramik trains have lost their way and reached somewhere else rather than their destination.Image Credit: PTIMigrants flouting social distancing norms as they stand in a queue after deboarding the Shramik Special train at Danapur station, in PatnaImage Credit: ANIMigrants boarded Shramik Express to reach their native place in Himachal Pradesh at Corlim Railway stationImage Credit: ANIMigrants from Lucknow wait to board 'Shramik Special' train to reach their native places at Panvel Railway Station, in Navi MumbaiImage Credit: PTIA health worker checks the temperature of migrants arriving to board the Shramik Special train for Muzaffarpur, at Bengaluru railway stationImage Credit: ANIMigrants undergo thermal screening after arriving from Tamil Nadu via 'Shramik Special' train at Hatia railway station, in RanchiImage Credit: PTIMigrants flouting social distancing norms as they stand in a queue after deboarding the Shramik Special train at Danapur station, in PatnaImage Credit: ANIA migrant refilling a water can on a hot summer afternoon in a Shramik special train while reaching their native places during the ongoing lockdown, in JabalpurImage Credit: ANIA woman from Manipur along with her puppy boards 'Shramik Special' train at Dehradun railway stationImage Credit: PTIMigrants board a Shramik special train to reach their native place in Himachal Pradesh, at Corlim Railway station, in CorlimImage Credit: ANIA Shramik special train carrying migrants leave for Bettiah, Bihar from Mohali railway stationImage Credit: ANI