After journey to good health, a train to happiness

VELLORE: When the first train from Tamil Nadu after the Covid-19 lockdown chugged out of the Katpadi railway station in Vellore late on May 6, carrying 1,130 patients and their caregivers, thousands from across the country who throng the medical town of Vellore saw the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.K Vikash Mahto, 22, and his brother Sandeep Mahto, 29, a chronic heart patient from Ranchi in Jharkhand, had reached Vellore on March 21 for a two-day treatment at the Christian Medical College Hospital. They were to fly back home on March 23. But the Covid-19 outbreak and the ensuing lockdown stopped them. medium75595193“We planned to stay in Vellore for three days. By the 15th day into the lockdown, we could barely manage our daily needs,” said Vikash. The lodge owner harassed them for rent and they did not have enough money to buy food. “My brother had breathing problems because of his heart condition and needed a bed,” said Vikash.They got the district superintendent of police to persuade the lodge owner to allow them to stay on.With the help of district officials and volunteers, the brothers managed to get their daily ration. And, as arrangements were made to take them back home by train on Wednesday night, along with hundreds of other patients, the brothers finally had a smile on their face. medium75595345Arrangements were made by the Tamil Nadu government to take the patients and those attending them from private marriage halls and lodges to the Katpadi railway station in sanitised vehicles. Every passenger was screened, and only those with no symptoms of Covid-19 were allowed to travel, said officials of the district administration.The special train with 22 coaches, arranged on the request of the Jharkhand government, left Katpadi railway junction late on May 6 and reached Hatia railway station in Ranchi on May 8. Officials said the passengers were made to adhere to social distancing norms. medium75595418Vikas Kumar Shaw, a 31-year-old passenger, hails from Dhanbad in Jharkhand. “I underwent an orthopaedic surgery four years ago at CMC hospital. I have to visit the hospital once a year for follow-up treatment. I got stuck during this visit,” he said. In Vellore, there are about 7,000 more who are waiting to return home. Authorities said they will make arrangement in a phased manner. Vellore district revenue officer J Partheeban told TOI that all arrangements were being made to take care of the stranded people. “We provided them free accommodation and food in three private marriage halls. Those who needed cots and attached toilet facilities were put up in lodges with instructions to the lodge owners.” medium75595558The patients, meanwhile, said this is not a one-way journey, with many saying they would return once the Covid-19 pandemic threat subsided.