Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting to discuss the return of guest workers. The Cabinet Secretaries of the Interior and Railways are also in the discussion. The first train service will be from Telangana to Jharkhand and Odisha from Gujarat.
Kerala has asked the Center to allow a non-stop train to return guest workers in the state. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the guest workers cannot be repatriated in buses. There are 3,60,000 guest workers in Kerala. They live in 20,826 camps. The vast majority of them want to return home.
Most are from Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar and UP. The Prime Minister had earlier appealed for the special train. It is difficult to transport so many people by bus. The Chief Secretary has written a letter to the Union Home Secretary. They have to be physically kept away. The train’s health system can be checked by train. Food and water can be provided on the train itself. Kerala has noticed this too.
The railways are of the view that if the center is green, there will be no obstacles for the train. Officials say that if the workers are provided with adequate bottles of water and food packages, they will be able to take the train to Howrah or Guwahati as a non stop. All coaches should have the service of the Railway Police to ensure that no one gets on the train during technical stops for water and cruise change.
Return of guest workers: Directions to prevent conflicts
In the event that the Union Home Ministry decides to allow guest workers to return home, steps will be taken to prevent any tension between them. State Police Chief Loknath Behra gave the direction to all district police chiefs.
Guest workers will be made aware that the government will make arrangements for the return journey and wait a few days for it. It will seek the services of other departments concerned. It has also been directed to take necessary steps to prevent any law and order situation that may arise.