7 trains from Karnataka ferry more than 10k migrants home

Seven South Western Railway (SWR) zone special trains ferried 10,063 migrant workers back home to six Indian states amid COVID pandemic, an official said on Thursday.

"The first Shramik Special train from Hubballi left at 12.20 p.m. with 1,361 passengers bound for Jodhpur," said a SWR zone official.

Thursday's second special train with 1,550 migrants departed Chikka Bannavara station from the outskirts of Bengaluru at 3.30 p.m. to Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Two trains, third and fourth special ones on Thursday, left Chikka Bannavara station for Gorakhpur with 1,520 and 1440 migrants at 4.50 p.m. and 6.35 p.m. respectively.

Similarly, Thursday's fifth special train departed Malur station for Katihar in Bihar at 6.15 p.m. with 1,462 migrants.

Likewise, the sixth train from Chikka Bannavara station to Jiribam in Manipur departed at 7.28 p.m. with 1,450 passengers at 8.30 p.m.

Seventh special train from Chikka Bannavara to Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir left at 10.39 p.m. with 1,280 migrants.

SWR is yet to share the departure details of eighth special train on Thursday, scheduled to leave for Jasidih in Jharkhand from Malur.

The special trains are being organised following the Union Ministry of Home Affairs granting permission for the movement of stranded migrant labourers, workers, students, tourists and others.