Kerala: First Shramik train from Alappuzha leaves for Bihar

ALAPPUZHA: A train carrying 1,124 guest

labourers

who worked in three taluks here left for Bihar from

Alappuzha railway station

on Tuesday.


A total of 1,140 guest

workers

were ready to go to their home state (549 workers from Ambalappuzha, 557 from Mavelikkara and 34 from Kuttanad taluks). But some of them decided to remain in Alappuzha. So, only 1,124 workers left for Bettiah in Bihar by 5pm on Tuesday.

The

district

administration arranged special KSRTC buses for transporting these labourers to the railway station. Adequate food items were also provided to them in train.

The ticket fare per passenger was Rs 930. Alappuzha district collector M Anjanawas at the railway station to see off the guest workers.

The district collector refused to accept district Congress committee’s (DCC) financial assistance towards the ticket charge of the guest workers. It provoked the DCC leaders and they staged a protest in front of Alappuzha collectorate.

DCC president M Liju said, “The state government should return the guest workers’ money and accept the cheque of Rs 10,60,200 from DCC towards the ticket charge of 1,140 workers. They had been staying here without any job for the past one-and-half months. But they were forced to pay Rs 930 each to travel to their state. The district collector refused to accept it citing she had no such directions from the state government.”

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