Special train leaves Hyderabad with 1,250 workers to Bihar

A Shramik special train carrying 1,250 migrant workers to Bihar left from Hyderabad in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.

The train chugged out at 3.05 a.m. from the Ghatkesar railway station near Hyderabad for Khagaria in Bihar.

The workers boarded the train after thermal screening by the personnel from the health department of Telangana.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat, who flagged off the train along with other officials, said the passengers were provided breakfast and water bottles.

Senior officials Ronald Ross and Rajat Saini, Medchal District Collector Venkateshwarlu and senior officials of the railway supervised the arrangements.

This was the second special train operated from Telangana to send back migrant workers to their states.

The first train, carrying 1,225 migrants to Jharkhand, had left Lingampalli station near Hyderabad on May 1. This was the first train for migrants anywhere in the country.

The second train left Hyderabad, hours after an announcement by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao that daily 40 special trains would be operated over the next one week to send back migrant workers to their respective states.

Rao announced the trains will be operated from Tuesday from various stations in Hyderabad, Warangal, Khammam, Ramagundam, Damaracharla and other places to Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other states.

The government said migrant workers who have registered their names with the police stations would be allowed to travel by the special trains. The details of the travel will be given at the police stations.

The Chief Minister said no migrant labour should feel anxious as the government had made arrangements for their travel to their native destinations. He instructed the police officers concerned to inform the migrant workers about the travel details and coordinate them.

His announcement came amid protests by workers in Hyderabad and other parts of the state demanding immediate transport arrangements to send them home.

A group of migrant workers on Monday night tried to reach the Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad. They started walking from Aramghar crossroads on the outskirts and were heading towards the station.

Police stopped the workers at Bahadurpura and assured them that transport arrangements would soon be made for them. Police officers convinced the workers to stay at a temporary shed in Shamshabad.

Meanwhile, a large number of migrant workers on Tuesday lined up at police stations in and around Hyderabad and other districts to register their names.

Police had a tough time in controlling the crowd at the Kukatpally police station. The gathering by the workers took the police by surprise and at one point they had to use mild force to disperse them.

Meanwhile, special trains for migrant workers have also started from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The first train carrying 1,212 workers to Maharashtra departed early Tuesday from Rayanapadu railway station near Vijayawada.