A total of 325 special trains have left Maharashtra so far ferrying stranded migrants to their native states, NCP leader and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday.
He also said that 60 more such special trains will depart from various stations in Maharashtra by this evening.
The Railways has been operating 'Shramik Special' trains since May 1 to transport migrants who have been stuck away from their home states in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
"A total of 325 trains have taken migrant labourers back to their native states till Tuesday night. Some 60 more trains will run from various stations by evening," Deshmukh said.
With plying of 385 trains altogether, about five lakh migrant labourers are ferried to their home states, the Home minister said.
"While 187 trains have been sent for Uttar Pradesh, 44 services ran for Bihar, 33 for Madhya Pradesh and 13 for Rajasthan besides other states," Deshmukh said.
He said a train had already left for West Bengal. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of migrant labourers rushing to the Bandra terminus in Mumbai on Tuesday in the hope of boarding a train for north India, Deshmukh said only those people who receive a telephone call from the government approach railway stations, and avoid crowding.
Many labourers had claimed that they started for the Bandra Terminus after receiving calls from the police saying they are selected to travel on the train for Purnia in Bihar on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Deshmukh reiterated that since the state government has been bearing the ticket fare for migrant labourers, they need not pay anything.
"All the 93 police stations in Mumbai are under pressure for preparing lists of migrant labourers who wish to return home. The state government has issued an order under which some 1,500 employees of the state government will assist these police stations in preparing the lists, which will
hopefully reduce the burden on the police," he said.
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