Of 1.5 lakh migrant workers, over 95K sent by 76 Shramik trains

Aparna Banerji

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 29

Of the 1.5 lakh migrant workers who had registered for traveling to their native places in Jalandhar, over 95,000 returned to their home by Shramik trains.

Underbridges in the city, where most of the migrant workers willing to go to their native places had gathered a few days ago, have now wore a deserted look. Since the beginning of May, 76 Shramik trains have left from the city to UP and Bihar. The government has spent Rs5.47 crore on the trains.

As most of the labourers have left the district, it has come as huge relief for both labourers and the administration. With the labourers camping under bridges and bypasses, the scorching heat might have posed a challenge to the administration. Now, any labourer wishes to leave the state will be sent by bus to Ludhiana from he or she will board the Shramik train.

With migrants from Bihar outnumbering those from UP, a majority of the trains left for places like Gaya, Madhubani, Purnia, Siwan, Gorakhpur, Balliya, Buxar and Varanasi. On May 25, the last train chugged off the district.

Labourers from Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Batala, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala, including those who walked to Jalandhar to board these trains, were sent in large numbers to their native places.

Administration officials said now, they are not getting any request from stranded labourers for moving out of the state. However, arrangements have been made if anyone willing to go back.

Jalandhar ADC (G) Jasbir Singh said, “We have sent over 90,000 labourers from the district. While 1.5 lakh had registered with us, many decided to stay back and went to work after factories were reopened. It was our utmost effort to accommodate all those who were in emergency and needed to go back to their families. Proper arrangements for food and water were made on trains. Buses have been arranged to ferry labourers to Ludhiana if anyone still wants to go.”

Huge relief for admn, migrants

As most of migrant labourers have left the district, it has come as a huge relief for both labourers and the district administration. With the workers camping under bridges and bypasses, the scorching heat might have posed a challenge to the administration.