By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Union PNG-Steel Minister Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was on Tuesday urged the Union Railway, Industry and Commerce, Minister Piyush Goyal to resume the Shramik Special Train services from Odisha to other states to facilitate the return of migrant workers to their workplaces.
Pradhan said in his letter that considering the mass exodus of migrant workers from states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra to Odisha in the wake of nation-wide Covid-19 lockdown. “As we resume our path to normalcy with the lifting of the nationwide lockdown, there is a need to resume rail services for migrant workers back to their workplaces. These workers have highlighted their plight due to unavailability of livelihood options and difficulty in travelling back to their workplace for rejoining work,” he said.
“Some employers are willing to offer bus transport service from Odisha, due to the prevailing monsoon conditions, a long and arduous journey via road is neither feasible nor safe for such long distances. Keeping in mind the need to re-ignite our economy and the plight of migrant workers in Odisha who are in urgent need of livelihood, I request your personal intervention for restarting of Shramik Special Trains from Odisha to States like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra at earliest,” Pradhan said.
