Over 2 lakh migrants ferried in 145 Shramik trains on Thursday

Amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus, more than two lakh migrants have been ferried to their homes on Thursday in the special Shramik trains. These migrants were ferried in over 145 trains across the country. 

READ: Centre Allows Hiring Private Buses To Ferry Migrants Home On Arriving In 'Shramik' Trains

More than 2 lakh migrants transported

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Railway said, "Yesterday, 145 shramik trains were operated and nearly 2.10 lakh passengers were ferried home. As of 9 am today (Friday), 999 Shramik Specials were approved."

READ: MHA Permits Movement Of Stranded Persons By Train, Railways To Run 'Shramik Special'

The statement further read, "As on 14th May 2020, a total of 800 Shramik Special trains have been operationalized from various states across the country. More than 10 lakh passengers have reached their home state. These 800 trains were terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal."

READ: No Pending Approvals For Shramik Trains, Says Rajasthan CM Over Piyush Goyal's Allegation

Earlier this month, the Central government announced that it will be running special Shramik trains to ferry migrants to across the country. As per the guidelines, the passengers have to be screened by the states from where the journey is about to commence and only those found asymptomatic would be allowed to travel. The state governments will be responsible for transporting the stranded persons in batches that can be accommodated in the train to the designated railway station in sanitized buses following social distancing norms and other precautions. It will be mandatory for every passenger to cover their faces. Meals and drinking water would be provided to the passengers by the states at the originating station.

READ: Assam Govt Drafts SOP Before Arrival Of 800 People Via Shramik Trains