Amid a national exodus of labourers, the trains were started last week after much back and forth between the Centre and the states.
Bengaluru| All the ten trains that were expected to ferry labourers 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
N Manjunatha Prasad, the nodal officer for migrants in a letter to the South Western Railways referring to an earlier request, said: “We had requested to arrange to run two train services every day for 5 days (total train services) except for tomorrow i.e. 06.05.2020 for which three trains can be arranged.”
“Since the train services are not required from tomorrow the letter cite under reference above is withdrawn,” read the letter dated May 5.
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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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