Second batch of 1,250 migrant workers leave aboard Shramik special

The workers are headed to Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand

A second batch of about 1,250 migrant workers left for their homes in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand aboard a Shramik special train in the wee hours of Friday.

The Train No. 06196 KIK-BLS special left Karaikal with 558 workers, including 289 from Tiruchi at 6 p.m. Another 691 workers boarded the train at the Puducherry railway station at 11.30 p.m.

The train’s departure was delayed by a couple of hours after the Jharkhand Government gave an eleventh hour clearance to pick up workers alighting at Balasore, Odisha and take them to their hometown. About 83 migrant workers from Karaikal were brought by bus to join a group of 68 workers from Puducherry headed for Jharkhand.

The train is scheduled to arrive in Balasore, Odisha at 9.55 a.m. on Saturday.

Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy flagged off the train at 2 a.m. M. Kandasamy, Welfare Minister, R. Kamalakannan, Agriculture Minister, A. Anbalagan, MLA, Puducherry PCC president A. V. Subramanian, T. Arun, Collector, Rahul Alwal, SSP (L&O) and others were also at the station to see off the guest workers.

This is the second Shramik special being run for migrant workers from the region. The first train service had left on May 17 for Bhopal with 1,100 workers.

The entire operation of organising the return of migrant workers without any hitch is coordinated by the departments of revenue, health, police and labour.

The administration had received over 1,700 registrations from migrant workers opting to return to Odisha on the portal. Text messages were sent to the mobile numbers and emails went out to industrial units once the date of the Shramik Special was confirmed.

Ahead of the scheduled departure date, the administration reached out once again to potential returnees identifying 15 locations across the city where they were required to assemble on the day of departure. On Thursday, 25 PRTC buses were operated to pick up the passengers and drop them at the main assembly point — the Indira Gandhi sports stadium. Apart from conducting health screening, the administration also served the passengers lunch and dinner.

“We found that many registrants for Odisha did not turn up chiefly as industries have resumed operations. That opened a window for passengers headed for Jharkhand, though the clearance came at the eleventh hour,” a revenue official said.

The administration had provided food packets, water bottles, masks and soap for the travellers. The expenses was covered by funds released from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund while the Odisha Government is covering the costs of the Shramik Special.

“The Puducherry administration seems to have handled the migrants issue very well, whether it is in the case of those wanting to return home or stay back,” said Sunaina Mandeen, from People for Pondicherry’s Heritage.

“In fact, it may have even set a rare example for the country in this matter,” she said.