MHA allows special trains for the stranded
NEW DELHI: The home ministry on Friday allowed the movement of migrant workers as well as stranded students, pilgrims, tourists and others, by special trains, with due adherence to social distancing norms at railway stations, platforms and inside the trains.
This comes after several states appealed to the Centre to allow all persons including migrant workers stranded at different places due to the lockdown, to be transported to their home states by trains rather than by road/buses as allowed earlier, given the higher carrying capacity of the former and lesser time taken for journey.
The movement of trains to shift stranded persons to their home states has already begun in some parts of the country.
The order issued by the home ministry on Friday adding trains as a permitted mode of inter-state travel for migrant labourers, students and other stranded persons, adds a sub-clause to Clause 17 of the guidelines, dealing with movement of persons. It states that “movement of migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons, stranded at different places, is also allowed by special trains to be operated by ministry of railways”.
Ministry of railways will designate nodal officer(s) for coordinating with State/ IJTs for the movement of stranded persons. It will also issue detailed guidelines for sale of tickets; and for social distancing and other safety measures to be observed at train stations, train platforms and within the trains.
All workers would be screened at departure points and allowed to proceed if found asymptomatic.
On arrival at their destination, such persons would be assessed by the local authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the persons in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups. For this purpose, such persons may be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.
