Thousands of migrant workers gathered at Ghaziabad's Ramlila Ground on Monday, 18 May, the first day of the fourth phase of the lockdown, to register themselves for the three 'shramik' special trains.
The visuals show the crowd congregating around an elevated platform having various desks presumably meant for the registration, while a few policemen stood guard.
11,000-plus migrants from Delhi and neighbouring states had poured into Ghaziabad’s Ramlila Maidan on Monday to register for a place on six trains being operated by the district administration – three heading to Bihar and three to Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
‘No Protest, No Clashes’
Ajay Shankar Pandey, District Magistrate, Ghaziabad told The Indian Express, “It is a success for the administration that in a single day, 9,000 people were provided with passes, checked medically and boarded successfully on six trains. Yes, there was a crowd, but they were disciplined. There were no protests against the administration, and no clashes or scuffles. They cooperated, and we told them repeatedly that they will get transport. Those who are left will either be given trains or buses along with proper food and other things.”
According to officials, the trains will ferry the migrants to Gorakhpur, Allahabad, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna, Katihar and Araria in Bihar. Each train will also stop at smaller stations, as approved by the state government.
Scores of migrant workers, left with no jobs or source of income, have found themselves stranded across various parts of the country ever since the first lockdown came into effect on 25 March. With public transport halted, many were forced to walk hundreds of kilometres back home.
Since early May, several 'shramik' trains have been run to transport the workers back to their home states. However, many continue to be stranded.
The incident comes on a day when the fourth phase of the lockdown came into effect, with various relaxations granted for resumption of economic activities. Under the new guidelines, states have got leeway to decide on the delineation of zones into red, orange, green and containment zones. Inter-state movement of buses and passenger vehicles has also been permitted, subject to mutual consent between states
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