Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to restart Shramik Special trains from Odisha to states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra for smooth return of migrant workers to their workplace.
Stating that there was a mass exodus of migrant workers from these states amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Dharmendra said that he had received multiple representations from migrant workers hailing from Ganjam district in Odisha, with a request for the resumption of rail services to Gujarat and other states to facilitate their return.
With the efforts of the Railway Ministry, thousands of workers across the country could reach their home towns by the Shramik Special trains and the same was appreciated widely, he wrote.
“As we resume our path to normalcy with the lifting of the nationwide lockdown, there is a need to resume rail services for migrant workers back to their workplaces. These workers have highlighted their plight due to unavailability of livelihood options and difficulty in travelling back to their workplace for re-joining work. I am informed that even though some employers are willing to offer bus transport service from Odisha, due to the prevailing monsoon conditions, a long and arduous journey via road is neither feasible nor safe for such long distances,” the Union Minister said.
He urged the Railway Minister for personal intervention for restarting this service at the earliest.
