Karnataka To Restart Trains To Ferry Migrants Workers From Tomorrow, Writes To Other States For Consent

The Karnataka government on Thursday (7 May) resorted to restart rail operations for the return of migrant workers to their home states, The Quint has reported.

The train service will commence from Friday for one week until 15 May. To some states, trains will run until all the stranded people have been sent back home.

According to a note mentioned report, Karnataka Principal Secretary has sent letters to various states seeking their consent regarding interstate train services to ferry stranded migrant workers, tourists, students among others.

The letters have been sent to the governments of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Odisha.

The state had put earlier on hold the inter-state trains that had been announced earlier with the Chief Minister (CM) B S Yediyurappa assuring that there was no need for these migrants to return to their home states.

The announcement of suspension of trains came after the CM had a meeting with the builders in Bengaluru to discuss the issue of migrant labour.

However, it was reported that the builders in the meeting had raised concerns over possible shortage of labourers in order to restart the work and revive state’s economy post lockdown.

The move had drawn severe criticism on social media and several videos also emerged of migrants setting their journey to their home states on foot.