Trains for stranded people in Vellore and Bangalore .... Sources said the state was set to allow more trains from Hyderabad, Kerala, Rajasthan and Punjab from Wednesday

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, 12.05.20, Calcutta: A special train from Vellore in Tamil Nadu started its journey with about 1,200 stranded people from Bengal on Monday and another from Bangalore was scheduled to start late on Monday night, sources at Nabanna said.

“The train from Vellore — mainly patients and their relatives — would reach Howrah on Tuesday afternoon and the train from Bangalore — which would ferry about 1,250 migrant workers — is scheduled to reach Kharagpur on Tuesday night or early Wednesday. All required arrangements have been put in place for these two trains,” said a senior state government official.

Required arrangements, which have been put in place, include health screening of every passenger, transport facility to the home districts and printed advisories.

“All asymptomatic passengers would be sent to home quarantine. Those with symptoms of Covid-19 would be taken to government quarantine facilities and their swab would be taken for Covid-19 tests,” said a source.

As an elaborate arrangement has to be put in place for each train ferrying in stranded people from other states, the state government is not in a hurry to allow many trains to the state at one point of time.

Sources said the state was set to allow more trains from Hyderabad, Kerala, Rajasthan and Punjab from Wednesday.

“The train from Hyderabad could leave for Bengal on Tuesday and the rest are being scheduled at this point of time,” said a source.

Officials said allowing a train to the state involved a series of activities. Many people have applied to come to the state through the app launched by the state.

“We have to identify each of the applicants and it has to be ensured that they can reach the originating station on time. These are done in consultation with the state from where the train would originate. The process is time consuming. So, it may take some time but we want to assure that we are eager to take back all stranded people,” said a senior bureaucrat.

Sources at Nabanna said senior officers were receiving more than 300 phone calls as anxious people wanted to know what arrangements the state was making to take them back. “We are trying to make it clear that the process could take time as a special train can accommodate only 1,200 people.