Karnataka labourers stranded in Maha won't be brought back

Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi has ruled out the possibility of running a special train to ferry migrant Karnataka labourers stranded in Maharashtra.

“A large number of Covid-19 cases have been reported from Maharashtra. There is no chance for the Karnataka labourers to return from that state. Hence, a train won’t be run to ferry them,” he told reporters here on Sunday.

The Indian Railways had decided to run special trains to ferry migrants labourers to their home states based on the approval by the Central government. Nodal officers had been appointed the monitor the process. As many as 16,000 labourers in Rajasthan had registered their names wishing to return to their home states, he said.

Angadi said that the trains would be run based on demand. The Karnataka government too had written a letter seeking running of a special train. The Central health and disaster management team would look into the matter.

“The states should conduct medical tests of migrant labourers, besides bearing transport expenses to send them to their home states,” he clarified.