Restart Shramik Special trains from Odisha: Dharmendra

Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to restart Shramik Special trains from Odisha to ferry migrant workers back to their workplace in states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

In a letter, Pradhan said that he has received a number of requests from migrant workers in Odisha who have urged that train services be started from Odisha to reach their workplace.

 “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,” said the Minister.

He said 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 that even though 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.