Ministry of Home Affairs allows movement of stranded migrants, students, pilgrims by special trains

As a logistical nightmare stared at states, the Centre on Friday modified its order allowing the running of special 'Shramik Trains' for the inter-state transportation of stranded people, including migrant workers and students, to their native places by allowing the running of special 'Shramik (Workers) Special Trains', two days after insisting that only buses will be allowed for the purpose.

The order was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) amending its revised guidelines for the COVID-19 lockdown after several state governments strongly argued on Friday that transportation of stranded people using buses would be impractical.

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It also came hours after the Railways ran a "one-off" special train, the first passenger service operated during the lockdown, from Lingampalli in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand with around 1,200 migrant workers, which started its journey at 4:30 AM.

However, the Centre later in the day decided to allow special trains to be operated by the Ministry of Railways, which will issue detailed guidelines for sale of tickets and for social distancing and other safety measures to be observed at railway stations, platforms and within trains.

According to the Ministry of Railways, these special trains will be run from point to point on the request of both the concerned states as per the standard protocols for sending and receiving such stranded persons. Nodal officers will be appointed by both the states and Railways for the smooth operation of these 'Shramik Specials'.

On longer routes, the Railways will provide a meal en route during the journey. On arrival, the state government should make arrangements for their screening, quarantine if necessary and further travel from the railway station.

Here are the 'Shramik Specials' trains:
1. Lingampalli to Hatia
2. Aluva to Bhubaneswar
3. Nasik to Lucknow
4. Nasik to Bhopal
5. Jaipur to Patna
6. Kota to Hatia