Railways shall ply if the state undertake charges of rail tickets: Railway Ministry

New Delhi: The present scenario of the workers returning to their homelands is the matter of an urging interest throughout the country. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government had to impose restrictions on the operations going on in the country, by the declaration of lockdown in the nation. This event didn’t only effect the economic growth of the country but left the needy ones jobless and stuck at their places of work. Numbers of laborers leave their homeland in search of work and move to other states for their livelihood.

A week ago the government ordered to direct these people to their places via the rail service. This came as a relief to the workers and their families who had no way of reaching back. Amidst the lockdown, people walked on foot to their home places. Some travelled 1,500 km. Government of India and the Railway Ministry have initiated this call and have send these migrants, the first train with 1200 passengers left from Kerala to Jharkhand.

The Railway is playing a special role to reach the fellow travelers by sending these “Shramik Special Trains” from state to state keeping the precautionary services while travelling. On May 2^nd the first five special trains were passed. Recently the Railway Ministry has issued a set of guidelines for the working of these special trains that include plying of train will only take place if they have 90 per cent occupancy and the states shall pay the fare of tickets and then give it over to the railways. Railways officials have stated the impossibility of the transport to bear the cost of fares where they are already relaxing the running costs and food charges.

The central government will  bear the 85% cost of the ticket while the State governments will bear the 15% of the ticket’s cost.

Several oppositions are being made for the Railways and center to be charging for the fares where the release of statement by Congress’s interim President Sonia Gandhi has lashed over the government for making the laborers to have paying fares and assured of paying these fares by the congress government in the states. The Railway is reportedly charging for the sleeper class tickets and super-fast charge of Rs.30 and additional Rs.20 for the Shramik Specials.

Although the Railway has denied speaking on the payment of charges and left it as the matter of the states. Many political party workers, celebrities have spoken on the interest and have majorly focused for the action to have standing as exploitation to the poor. The funding provided by Railways to the PM-CARES fund was even questioned by many as to where is the money of the relief fund being used for when these needy one are asked to pay for their tickets. The Railway guidelines state in this regard, “The local state government authority shall handover tickets to passengers cleared by them and collect the ticket fare and hand over the total amount to Railways,” Although the Railways have asked the center to provide food packets and drinking water from originating points as stated by a report from TOI.

The whole scenario needs to be critically examined whereof the country is already suffering due to severe economic conditions. Both the Centre and State Governments are required to confirm the returning of the passengers safely. States such as Rajasthan and Telangana are mentioned to be undertaking the charges as per the Railways statement.