Chandigarh, May 12 - Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that the migrant workers have contributed significantly in the progress of the State and thus it is our moral responsibility to understand their suffering. The work of sending the migrant labourers stranded in Haryana due to the COVID-19 back to their home states and bringing back the people of Haryana stranded in other states is going on smoothly. In this series, today over 11000 migrant labourers were sent to their home states via five trains and buses.

Today Special Shramik train, carrying 1628 passengers including 188 children, departed from Narnaul railway station for Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh. Similarly, about 1450 labourers were sent from Rohtak to Katihar in Bihar, 1417 migrant labourers from Faridabad to Damoh in Madhya Pradesh, and1440 migrant labourers each were sent from Rewari to Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and Dadri and Bhiwani to Kishanganj in Bihar. So far, about 75,000 migrant workers from Haryana have been sent to other states through more than 1200 buses and 16 trains. Similarly, about 9700 people from other states have come to Haryana.

A Special Shramik Train, carrying 1459 passengers including 1428 labourers and 31 children stranded in Rohtak and other districts, departed from Rohtak railway station to Katihar in Bihar today evening. Earlier as well, two Special Shramik Trains carried migrant labourers from Rohtak railway station to Bihar. Migrant labourers and children were brought to the railway station in buses from various districts of the State. 201 workers from district Jind, 42 from Rohtak, 63 from Gurugram, 49 from Sonipat, 235 from Hansi, 108 from Hisar, 179 from Fatehabad, 59 from Yamunanagar, 180 from Kurukshetra and 345 from Panipat were brought to the railway station from where they left for their destination by special train.

The labourers and their families who left from Dadri to Bihar today include 393 residents of Araria, 86 of Katihar, 7 of Kishanganj, 195 of Madhepura, 384 of Purnia, 335 of Saharsa and 144 of Supaul district of Bihar. Apart from this, 30 workers left by Haryana Roadways bus to Jammu from Dadri SCR School at night.

While boarding the special train from Rohtak the migrant labourers expressed their gratitude and happiness to the State Government for arranging special trains and said that they are returning to their homes after a long time for which they were eagerly waiting since the lockdown was implemented. As soon as the train left the railway station, the labourers raised slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Haryana’.

Food packets and water bottles were provided to all labourers. In addition, sanitizers and three-layer masks were also made available to them. Thermal scanning and medical check-ups were also conducted before bringing them to the railway station. The labourers said that with the efforts of the state government, they will soon be able to reach their respective villages and meet their family members.

At 5 am the migrant labourers and their families belonging to different districts Bihar left for Bhiwani railway station from Dadri SACR School in 40 buses. The Transport Department got these buses sanitized before sending to the school premises. The labourers were sent for their onward journey after providing them breakfast.

Sunil, a migrant labourer, who was leaving from Charkhi Dadri, said that Dadri administration took care of him like a guest. He said that there was so much love here that he will return as soon as the pandemic ends. Rajendra Kumar, resident of District Purnia in Bihar said that he was given nutritious food in Dadri and after that is being sent to his home state free of cost. He said that he will never forget the generosity of the officers of the Dadri Administration. Munna Sharma and Sanjoni Kumari, residents of Katihar district said that the administration was very good with them. They and their children have been provided with tea, milk, biscuits etc. Rajrishi Dev, a resident of Araria district, says that he will remember this journey for a lifetime.

Similarly, the migrant labourers in Narnaul praised the food and shelter arrangements made by the District Administration and local residents. This moment will be very memorable for Maya of Bikora village in Chhatarpur district who was carrying her two-day-old son Vishwajeet in her lap. Maya gave birth to a child 2 days back in a shelter home built at RPS School in Mahendragarh. She said that the Health Department provided all kinds of medicines and food for her child. Maya's husband Bardani said that the government had made arrangements to send the train tickets free of cost due to which they are very happy. Dhan Singh of Hardra Hathi Ghat in Madhya Pradesh, Brijendra of Para village and Chhotu of Gwalior said that in this special train, the state government has made arrangements for free tickets and water and food etc. for them for which they are very grateful.

Similarly at the Rewari Junction for the sixth consecutive day today, at 7:30 in the evening, the Shramik Special Train left for Sagar with the agricultural migrant labourers of Madhya Pradesh. Expressing happiness over the arrangement of free travel by the state government, the workers said that they would come again at the time of cutting of bajra and cotton. Agricultural migrant labourers living in Rewari were brought from the shelter home to the railway station via roadways buses. Railway platforms, trains and the hands of each migrant worker were sanitized and food and drinking water were also arranged for them.