West Bengal: ‘Shramik Special’ trains restricted entry till May 26

In the wake of cyclone Amphan that wreaked havoc in West Bengal, the state government has now decided to restrict the entry of ‘Shramik Special’ trains till May 26. Reports state that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today requested the Railway Ministry to not send any Shramik Special trains to West Bengal till May 26, as officials are busy in relief work.
The Railways started operations of the ‘Shramik Special’ trains for transporting stranded workers on May 1, which is around 40 days after the passenger, mail and express trains were suspended to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Further, reports state that West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha also sent a letter to the authority of Railway board stating that it will not be possible to receive trains for the next few days, i.e., till May 26. The contents of the letter further mentioned how the state has been devasted with the impacts of cyclone Amphan, and that the state would be able to receive special trains in the next few days.
Reportedly, 86 people lost their lives in West Bengal due to cyclone Amphan. Authorities have been trying to restore normalcy in the state since it witnessed the worst weather disaster. Official reports state that around 1.5 crore people have been directly affected by the cyclone, whereas more than 10 lakh houses have destroyed due to the weather.

Reports stated that West Bengal has even received the least number of special trains since the train services were started by the government to ferry the stranded migrants to their homes amid the COVID-19 lockdown.