Berhampur: More than 700 workers and their families boarded the special train Khurda Road-Ahmedabad from Berhampur railway station to go to Surat on Sunday.
They had congregated in front of the railway station since Saturday night. They were allowed to enter the platform one by one after the checking of their valid tickets, said station manager Durga Prasad Brahma.
No train was allowed to halt in entire Ganjam district including Berhampur railway station since July 10 due to COVID-19 situation. Around 4 lakh migrant workers, who had returned to their homes in the district from other states after the outbreak of pandemic, are now eager to return to their workplaces for livelihood.
Railway Ministry has provided 3 special trains to transport the workers to other states after Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan requested the authority.
The BJP unit of Ganjam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the step and provided masks, water bottles, biscuits and cakes to the migrant workers at the railway station.
Sources said total 1430 passengers including 700 from Berhampur boarded the first of the 3 special trains on Sunday.
