NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, MAY 2
Three special trains, carrying 1,200 migrant workers each, will on Saturday night leave for Uttar Pradesh and Odisha from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and Surat stations, a senior official said.
While two trains will leave from Ahmedabad to Agra, another will depart from Surat to Behrampur in Odisha, said Ashwani Kumar, secretary to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Several migrants from Rajasthan, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh have already been granted permission to leave for their home states on buses, he said.
“A train from Surat will leave for Behrampur in Odisha, and two trains from Ahmedabad will leave for Agra on Saturday. Each train has a capacity of 1,200 passengers, and only those who have registered their names will be permitted to travel,” he said.
Kumar said the state government has appointed eight IAS and IPS officers each as nodal officers to coordinate the movement of migrant workers with the governments of other states.
Persons who wish to return to their home states will have to call on helpline number 1077 and the district administration will get them registered, but passengers will have to buy their tickets, he said.
Meanwhile, the state government on Saturday appointed additional chief secretary Vipul Mitra as the nodal officer for the movement of migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists, and others who wish to return to their home states by trains.
The state government has also made arrangements to bring back students, pilgrims, tourists and workers from Gujarat who remain stranded in other states, he said.
Such people can call on 079-23251900 to share their details to get travel passes for the purpose.
The Centre government has allowed movement of stranded labourers, tourists and students from one state to another on the permission of local authorities amidst the nationwide coronavirus-enforced lockdown, which has been extended till May 17.
