642 stranded Himachal residents return from Bengaluru in special train

A total of 642 people from Himachal Pradesh stranded in Karnataka due to the coronavirus lockdown arrived here in a special train on Wednesday, officials said.

The train arrived at the Una railway station in the afternoon, Deputy Commissioner, Una, Sandeep Kumar said. This was the first special train bringing back stranded Himachal Pradesh residents to their state.

Four more special trains will bring back more state residents from other parts of the country in the coming days, Kumar said.

Of the 642 passengers arriving from Bengaluru in Karnataka, 157 were from Kangra, 131 from Chamba, 84 from Hamirpur, 73 from Shimla, 59 from Solan, 58 from Mandi, 22 from Bilaspur, 20 from Kullu, 19 from Una, 14 from Sirmaur and five from Kinnaur, he said.

The passengers were provided masks, sanitisers, water and food before being sent to their home districts in Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses, Kumar said. They will have to remain in quarantine for fourteen days, he added.

Khem Raj from Chamba's Tissa thanked the HP government for making special arrangements for ensuring his return to the home state. The special train was run after Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had made a request to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.