Chief Secretary Tom Jose has written to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla requesting that special trains be allowed to accommodate the migrant workers of Thiruvananthapuram. Last week, the Center had approved the travel of guest workers, pilgrims, tourists and students trapped in various states.
There are 3.6 lakh guest workers in 20,826 camps in Kerala. Ninety-five percent of them want to return home. Most are from Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding special non-stop trains to accommodate guest workers.
As per the directives of the central government, they should be accommodated in buses. But in the present situation it is not practical to take such guest workers on buses. Moreover, the risk of disease transmission should be considered.
The chief secretary in the letter, therefore, urged the Center to allow fast, non-stop trains to accommodate guest workers and to provide them with adequate food, water and health care.