The First “Special Train” To Transport Migrants Stranded By The Nationwide Lockdown Left Telangana For Jharkhand.

The first “special train” to transport migrants stranded by the nationwide lockdown left Telangana for Jharkhand at around 4.30 am, carrying 1,200 people from Lingampally in the southern state to Jharkhand’s Hatia district. The 24-coach train, which usually seats 72 people in a compartment, contained only 54 people in each in accordance with social distancing guidelines. All passengers were also screened for symptoms before being allowed to board.A second such train is scheduled to depart Kerala’s Ernakulam at this evening for Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, according to Kerala minister VS Sunil Kumar. The train, expected to leave at 6 pm and carry over 1,000 people, will be thoroughly disinfected and all passengers, who will be brought to the station by the state, will be required to maintain social distancing.