This story is from May 30, 2020

Noida, Ghaziabad call off migrant train services

Noida, Ghaziabad call off migrant train services
Photo used for representational purpose only
NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: With markets, industries and commercial establishments opening up in the state and few migrant workers registering to leave for their hometowns, the Noida administration on Friday called off Shramik train services because of dwindling demand. Shramik Special trains have already been stopped from Ghaziabad station.
Nearly 2.5 lakh workers have left the two industrial cities over the past fortnight.
However, the rate of exodus has come down of late, said district magistrate Suhas LY.
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The DM said since May 24, a lot of people who had registered to return to their home towns had been hesitant to leave the city. “No trains were run on Friday after a long gap. Only a handful of migrants are left and we would request for more train services when their numbers increase,” he said.
The administration might request for a train to Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal in a day or two since 2,500 people from Raiganj and Islampur are still inclined to return. While the majority of the services (36) were Bihar-bound, four trains have left for West Bengal so far from Noida. “Most of the passengers had enrolled from Nalanda and Saharsa in Bihar,” said a railway officer. “Some 16 trains from Noida terminated in different eastern UP districts while one each had left for Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.”

Ghaziabad is also hoping to run a service to Howrah in a day or two to drop off 2,000 migrant workers. “So far, we have operated 31 trains from Ghaziabad railway station, especially to Bihar and UP, in which more than 40,000 migrant workers have been ferried to their destinations,” said Santosh Kumar Vyas, additional district magistrate (administration), Ghaziabad. The administration has operated some 4,000 buses in order to ferry 1.25 lakh migrant workers back home.
Since children aged under 12 were allowed to board the train with parents without the need for tickets, their numbers are not included in the total tally (2.65 lakh migrants), officials said.
In both the districts, the tickets had been bought by the local administration through funds provided by the state government and not a single penny was charged from the migrants. Those heading for southern states were escorted to Delhi.
Close to 80,000 people had left in trains from Noida and another 24,000 in buses so far. From Ghaziabad, 40,000 had left by trains and 1.25 lakh on buses. Earlier this month, Noida and Ghaziabad had started with eight trains to ferry batches of workers to various destinations in Bihar and UP.
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