The second train for migrant workers left Delhi on Friday afternoon for Muzaffarpur in Bihar, officials said.
The train carrying 1,200 people left from New Delhi railway station around 3 p.m. and more such trains will transport migrant workers back to their States during the week, Delhi government officials said.
Also, the Delhi government has decided to bear the cost of train journey of migrant workers, if their home States do not respond on the matter of bearing the travel cost.
“The train carrying 1,200 migrant labourers left for Muzaffarpur, Bihar today. The Arvind Kejriwal government will bear their full travel cost,” Labour Minister Gopal Rai said in a tweet.
“As per current guidelines, the Central government and the home State of the migrant workers should bear the cost of their travel. The Delhi government has already reached out to the respective States with the list of migrant workers stranded in Delhi. Most of these States are yet to respond on the matter of bearing the travel costs of these stranded people, therefore, the Delhi government has taken the decision to bear the cost to avoid any further inconvenience to stranded workers,” an official statement said.
Screening
On Friday, the Delhi government arranged buses to bring migrant workers from shelters across Delhi to the railway station. Teams of doctors were appointed to screen them and after a thorough check-up, a medical certificate was issued to each one of them.
“About 125 migrants from our district have left for the railway station in buses,” said Deepak Shinde, District Magistrate (North).
The government also provided lunch besides food and water bottles for the train journey. “Social distancing is key to combat COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure social distancing the Delhi government permitted only 12 people on a bus while taking the migrant workers to the railway station. Thermal screening of the passengers was also done before they boarded the bus,” the statement said.
