The first train from Tamil Nadu after the Covid 19 lockdown which chugged from Katpadi station in Vellore town on Wednesday night carrying 1200 patients and their caregivers reached Hatia station on Friday. The district administration had made elaborate arrangements for arrival of patients and caregivers. The district administration welcomed the patients and caregivers by giving flowers.
As most of passengers reaching Haita station where patients and their attendants the district administration had made arranged ambulances and wheelchair. The district administration appointed volunteers helped patients in alighting ambulances who were unable to walk though wheelchair.
The patients and their caregivers were much excited on reaching their home state. A middle aged youth who had gone to Vellore for his mother treatment was much excited. The youth said, “My mother is chronic heart patient. We had gone to Vellore on March 21 for two day treatment and we were to return back by March 25, but at that time lockdown occurred and we were left with no other alternative but to stay at Vellore.”
The youth further said they had a very traumatic phase as we were unsure when we will return as lockdown was extended from phase one to three. The youth thanked the Hemant Soren government and Railways for arranging the train facility.
The special train with 22 coaches left Katpadi railway junction on Wednesday night reaching Hatia station on Friday morning. Arrangements were made by the Tamil Nadu government to take the patients and their attendees from private marriage halls and lodges to the Katpadi railway station in sanitized vehicles. Every passenger was screened, and only those with no symptoms of Covid-19 were allowed to travel, said officials of the district administration. Most of the patients had gone to Christian Medical College, Vellore widely known as CMC, Vellore for treatment. The CMC Vellore gets maximum patients from North India states including Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha.
As the special train, which reached Hatia from Katpadi also included migrant labourers, the district administration had even arranged buses for such migrant labourers. The district administration had arranged 57 buses for such migrant labourers. The labourers were given seats at respective maintaining social distance.
The Ranchi deputy collector Rai Mahimapat Ray himself was present at Hatia railway station looking after the arrangements made by district administration and social distancing norms.
On the initiative of respective State governments and Centre, the railway has been running special trains carrying migrant labourers, students and patients stranded at different parts of country.
A train from Hyderabad's Lingampalli, carrying nearly 1,200 migrant workers, reached Hatia in Jharkhand on May 1. This was first train to ferry migrants amid nationwide lockdown.
In last one week, more than 2400 migrant workers, patients and students have returned state from across the country. Fifteen trains carrying migrant labourers and students have reached Jharkhand and still the process is going on.