Indian Railways: Uttar Pradesh Most Welcoming State, Receiving Most Migrants; Bihar Stands Second


New Delhi: The Indian Railways has operated 1,074 Shramik Special trains since May 1, ferrying more than 14 lakh workers, it said Saturday. On Friday, the Railways said it had received more than 1,000 approvals from states in the last 15 days to ferry migrants home, with most workers being received by Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar. Also Read – Uttar Pradesh Latest News, May 16, 2020: Allahabad HC Allows Recital of Azaan by Single Individuals, Prohibits Use of Loudpeakers

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal hailed the active participation of UP and Bihar in processing trains for their migrants, saying 80 per cent of the labour trains are terminating in these two states. Also Read – 24 Migrants Killed as Truck Collides With Another in UP’s Auraiya, Over 30 Injured; CM Yogi Orders Probe

During the last three days, more than 2 lakh persons have been transported per day. In days to come, it is expected to be scaled up to 3 lakh passengers per day, the Railways said. Also Read – 4th Coronavirus Death in Noida: 71-Year-Old Cancer Patient From Sector 150 Dies

Out of the trains which have terminated so far, the maximum has been in Uttar Pradesh (387). Uttar Pradesh has given approval for 526 trains, followed by Bihar for 269 trains, and Madhya Pradesh for 81 trains.

The number stands at 50 for Jharkhand, 52 for Odisha, 23 for Rajasthan and 9 for West Bengal, the data showed.

The operation of these trains has, however, led to political mudslinging with the Opposition accusing the Centre of charging fare from migrants.

The Centre has clarified that the fare is being shared on an 85-15 ratio by the Railways and the state governments. It has said it has the capacity to run 300 Shramik Specials per day.

Goyal had appealed to states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to approve more trains.

A Shramik Special train carries around 1,700 passengers, instead of the earlier 1,200, to ferry as many workers home as possible.

Initially, these trains had no scheduled stoppages during the journey, but the Railways now allows up to three stoppages in the destination states.

While railways is yet to announce the cost incurred on these special services, officials indicated that the national transporter is spending around Rs 80 lakh per service.

Since the Shramik Special service started, Gujarat has remained the top originating state, followed by Kerala. Earlier, the Railways drew flak from opposition parties for charging for these services.

In its guidelines, the national transporter has said the trains will ply only if they have 90 per cent occupancy.


Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get in Touch

350FansLike
100FollowersFollow
281FollowersFollow
150FollowersFollow

Recommend for You

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

You might also like

SP urges SC to separate its interests from Tata...

NEW DELHI: After partnering with the Tata Group for the last 55 years, the...

Elon Musk’s younger brother sells $25.6 million Tesla shares...

NEW DELHI: Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of Elon Musk and a Tesla Inc...

Passengers To Evacuate Cruise Ship After More Than Half...

Australian and New Zealand passengers on board a cruise...

IMF Warns Global Economy Could Be Permanently Scarred

WASHINGTON: The global economy’s recovery from the pandemic recession is tentative and uneven...