Online ticket booking a hassle for migrants

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 16

The chugging off special Shramik trains has brought little respite for stranded migrant labourers, who have already been hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown. Reason: the cumbersome process of applying online for a seat in the trains.

As most of the migrants are neither digitally well-versed nor have smartphones, applying online on the portal, covidhelp.punjab.gov.in, is a challenge for them.

If they manage to apply online, the next test is the 14-day wait for the confirmation of the seat.

Once labourers are registered online, they are issued a token number. Subsequently, they are intimated about their travel details through an SMS. Later, officials ferry them to the pick-up point and conduct their medical tests before dropping them at the railway station.

Some have complained that they received the SMS late. In one case, migrants were informed via the SMS that they were required to reach the pick-up point at noon. The only problem was the message was delivered at 12.22 pm.

Many complained that they were asked to return from the railway station in spite of having the reservation.

In this scenario, migrants say their only option is to arrange a conveyance on their own or walk thousands of kms (in case they don’t own a vehicle).

Shyam Yadav, who hails from Patna and lives at Karampura here, said: “A fortnight ago, my friends and I had registered online. To date, we have not received any update about the reservation. If we do not receive the SMS, we will have no choice but to go on foot.”

There are about 40 migrants stranded at Karampura. All were employed with a catering firm. Today, they are jobless and have run out of money.

Some of Yadav’s friends have already reached home. One of them is Jai Ram Jee, who hails from Bihar’s Banka district. He told The Tribune over phone, “My friends and I drove down home on scooters after covering 2,100 km. We started off on April 6 and reached home four days later.”

Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, who is also the chairperson of the state committee facilitating the travel of migrants, said: “The process of online registration and medical testing is mandatory. There could be a remote chance of SMSes being delivered late. I will get it checked.”

On migrants being returned from the railway station, he said: “As social distancing has to be maintained, not more than 1,200 persons can be accommodated in a single train. On two occasions, many migrants decided against boarding the train at the eleventh hour; maybe their employers were able to convince them to stay back. On those two days, the train ferried less than 1,200 persons. To avoid such a situation, the administration calls more than 1,200 migrants.”

QUOTE

I started off on April 30 on my cycle from Amritsar. It took me 13 days to reach home in Samastipur, Bihar. I had ‘channa’ and roti during the first few days of the journey. En route, NGO volunteers gave me food. I slept on the roadside when I got tired.

Shambhu Das, migrant worker