IT News
Mumbai, May 5
Amid political battle over the rail fare of migrant workers, BJP on Monday stated that no fare will be collected from migrant workers returning home and the cost will be borne by the centre and state in the ratio of 85:15.
BJP leader Sambit Patra stated that for each ‘Shramik Express’ (special trains being run for migrants) about 1,200 tickets to the destination were handed by the railways to the state government concerned. Railways has subsidised 85% and state governments are required to pay 15%. The State governments can pay themselves for the tickets like BJP led Madhya Pradesh govt is paying. Ask Cong state governments to follow the suit, he twitted. He enclosed the copy of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs notification dated 2 May which stated that “No tickets being sold at any station”.
“The railways are running Shramik special trains keeping berths empty in each coach to maintain social distancing. The trains are returning empty from destinations under lock and key. Free food and bottled water is being given to migrants by the railways. Nowhere in our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), we have said that the fares be collected from travelling migrants”, a senior railway official here claimed.
The states like Rajasthan, Telangana and Gujarat — from where Shramik Special trains have originated — are paying on behalf of the migrant workers, while Jharkhand, which has only received such trains, has also paid for the travel of workers. The Gujarat government has roped in an NGO to pay part of the travel cost.
But government officials in Bengaluru( Karnataka) confirmed that the workers were paying their own way home on the Shramik Special Trains and the state government had not paid the fare on behalf of the migrant labourers. Whereas Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ruled out paying the fare for migrant workers, in a press meet on Monday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has suggested that the centre should bear the entire cost of the rail fare.
However there seems to be mismanagement in distribution of tickets at the state’s end. For example a ticket bearing No. Z 37369338 dated 3 May,2020 for journey from Vasai Road (adjacent to Mumbai) to Gorakhpur with rail fare of Rs 740/-was found in Mumbai. Meaning it was one of the tickets given to Maharashtra Government in bulk or the passenger misplaced it before starting his journey(this possibility appeared remote.
