Amid a national exodus of migrants, the trains were started last week after much back and forth between the Centre and the states.
Bengaluru| A day after the Karnataka government’s decision to scrap trains ferrying migrants back home attracted criticism from several quarters, the BS Yeddyurappa-led government on Thursday decided to restart train services for workers.
The state government has written to nodal officers of various states seeking their consent to operate trains to their states from May 8 to 15.
All the ten trains that were expected to ferry migrants back to their home states this week were cancelled by the Karnataka Government.
A move dubbed by the opposition Congress as holding the workers “hostage”.
Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said he has “appealed” to migrants to stay as construction work has resumed in the state.
The BJP-led government made this decision at a time when around 53,000 people had registered for travel back to Bihar alone.
BS Yediyurappa government said workers are needed for construction activities that have reopened in the state.
Pointing out that the government’s move will force the migrants to stay in the state when others across the country were going home, Congress’s Siddaramaiah tweeted:
The decision to go back or to stay back should be with the labourers & not with the government. Labourers are free to choose health or work. Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?
Are we still practicing bonded labour?
For me #MigrantLivesMatter!!
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— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 6, 2020
Had the interests of labourers been taken care by the concerned stakeholders, migrants may have stayed back.
Even govt did little to address their concerns.
I strongly urge @CMofKarnataka to arrange trains for those migrants who wish to go back.#MigrantLivesMatter
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— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 6, 2020
Also Read: 20 Lakh Migrant Workers Register to Head Back Home from Gujarat Amid Coronavirus Lockdown
As money dried up overnight due to the national lockdown in the view of COVID-19, lakhs of migrant labourers set off for their home states on foot, arguing that hunger would kill them before coronavirus does.
After the Central governments finally permitted workers to return home, the states asked for special trains be run for this, since it was not possible to send lakhs of labourers and their families by bus over huge distances.
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