Kerala cancels Shramik special trains, migrant workers left in the lurch

KOCHI: Hundreds of migrants in Kerala have been left on roads after some of the Shramik special trains were cancelled after some state governments denied them permission.

The special trains scheduled from several stations, including Aluva, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Shoranur, were cancelled and the migrants including women and children who left the labour camps and rented house are now stranded with nowhere to go.

Though the employers were asked to take care of the migrants until train service resumes, many of them are reluctant to provide accommodation and other facilities, according to report by Asianet News.

Special train service to Bihar could not be operated as the Bihar government declined to give no objection certificate citing that the arrangements were yet to be in place to receive the labourers.

However, special trains have already been operated to various states, including Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. A total of 14,896 migrant workers have already left for their home states in special trains.

The police authorities and labour department officials are worried over the cancellation of the trains as managing the hundreds of restless migrants who are waiting for the train service to reach home is a tough task.

With no work and money for last 40 days, most of the migrants are depending on the community kitchens and food packets provided by NGOs and social organisations.