Nagpur:- Even as migrants from other states are in full swing by the railways and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), daily passengers are scheduled to take advantage of eight trains going north, south, and east via Nagpur.
On Monday, MSRTC had moved over 800 migrants to the MP border near Khawasa and the Chhattisgarh border at Shirpur (Deori) in 40 buses until 9 pm. A ‘Shramik Special’ train likewise carried 1,600 passengers from Nagpur to Darbhanga.
To a question about dropping migrants in between to their destinations of choice, divisional MSRTC controller Nilesh Belsare said, “We can’t do that as per government orders. This is an inter-state arrangement where officials from other states will quarantine these migrants.
“Earlier, plans were made to introduce inter-district migrant transportation but this move could have led to people moving from the red zone to orange and green zones, causing Covid-19 cases to spread. There are proposals to implement this kind of travel, but it’ll be a paid service, Belsare said.
“In the respective district, there are orders to depot managers that if Maharashtra migrants arrive at the state frontiers they will be dropped to their villages. We dropped five such passengers from the Chhattisgarh border into Gondia on Monday, “said Belsare.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has requested that all passengers arriving in the state undergo a swab test upon arrival, and that they are sent for quarantine. This can take care of people with symptoms and without them.
“These people ‘s thermal scanning, which is being done right now, should be discarded, as it is completely not a reliable screening process,” said IMA president Dr. Avinash Bhondwe.
The Indian Railways declared operation of 15 pairs of trains on Monday after train traffic closed during a lockdown. Of these, Bengaluru-Delhi (02691) will arrive in Nagpur on May 13 at 3.35 pm and Delhi-Bengaluru (02692) will arrive the same day at 10.40 am.
Railway officials said that there would be no counters for general quota passengers except for such groups, such as VIPs, freedom fighters and free railway employee passes. Sources said the incoming and outgoing passengers would undergo thermal scanning and sanitization.
Similarly, Chennai-Delhi (02433) runs from May 15 on Friday and Sunday, while Delhi-Chennai (02434) runs twice a week, reaching Nagpur at 5.50 pm on Thursday and Saturday.
A biweekly train between Bilaspur and Delhi has also started from May 14. The Bilaspur-Delhi 02441 runs Mondays and Thursdays and enters Nagpur at 9.15 pm. Similarly, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 02442 Delhi-Bilaspur will run on. It will hit Nagpur at 6:10 am on Wednesday and Monday
