The first train from Goa to Haridwar carrying 1,290 passengers left Karmali Railway Station on Sunday (17th May 2020) night. The commuters were ferried from the state in the Shramik Special Train 01622. The train which was supposed to depart at 7pm was delayed by over an hour. It left the railway station only at 8.25pm. Delayed boarding of passengers was cited as the reason behind the delay.
“A few passengers arrived late which resulted in the late departure of the train,” a railway official said. The passengers mainly comprised migrant labourers who were stranded in Goa during the lockdown. They were given permission by the North Goa district collector to board trains that left from Karmali railway station on Sunday.
Over the past one week, several Shramik special trains have taken stranded citizens to their native places. These included residents of Jammu & Kashmir who were stuck in Goa for nearly two months after tourism activities came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic.
The first train carrying migrant workers was bound for Madhya Pradesh. Trains have picked up migrant workers from Tivim, Margao and Karmali railway stations. The government arranged for buses to ferry the departing passengers from their designated shelter homes to the railway station. After a thorough medical check-up, a medical certificate was issued to them to be carried for the journey, and to be furnished at the destination.
Kadamba Transport Corporation limited (KTC) buses were used to transport the labourers to the railway stations. Sources said that documents of the passengers were analysed before they were allowed to board the buses.