Exercise in place for departure of over 1 lakh | 150 officials deputed per trainDist sees mass exodus of migrants

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 7

Ever since the government decided to send migrants and labourers back on Shramik trains, the district has witnessed a mass exodus of labourers from Jalandhar to their native places.

A team of over 150 employees deputed per train is making sure that the massive exercise is carried out smoothly. While over 1 lakh labourers have applied to go back to their native districts, 80 per cent of the applicants are migrant labourers.

Eight trains, started since Tuesday, have ferried 8,484 passengers to various towns in UP and Bihar so far. Amid the Covid-19 lockdown, ensuring that they maintain social distancing is one of the massive challenges faced by the district administration.

About 150 employees including drivers, conductors on a fleet of 30 to 40 buses, 60 police personnel, 30 patwaris and associated rank officials and about 20 doctors, paramedics and ambulance drivers have been deployed on every train. Barring one train, which had 1,320 passengers on board and another with 1,188, all others have left with 1,200 passengers on board.

While 8,484 labourers had already left by Thursday night, some officials said with per day departures pegged at 3,600 (if one train leaves each day), it might take a month for all labourers to leave the city.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Sharma said: “As per the Constitution of India, everyone has equal rights. If we can bring people

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