New Delhi, May 7 (IANS): At least 1,050 migrants hailing from Madhya Pradesh left Delhi on Thursday in the first train carrying stranded people from the national capital.
Sharing a video of the train, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said more trains will be taking the migrants in the coming days.
"First train carrying 1,050 migrants from Delhi left for Chattarpur, MP, today at 8 p.m. A series of such trains would be carrying migrants to different parts of India in the coming days," he tweeted.
These migrants were staying in different shelter homes in Delhi.
Speaking to IANS, a government official said before coming to the New Delhi Railway Station in DTC buses, the migrants were screened by doctors and only asymptomatic were allowed to travel.
"Followed by the screening, they were sent to the New Delhi station for boarding the train. The District Administration is providing them food and water bottles for consumption during their journey back to their home state," the official told IANS.
It was the first special train for migrants stuck in the national capital.
Thousands of migrants belonging to different parts of the country were stuck in the national capital due to the sudden announcement of the nationwide lockdown.
The central government has now allowed their movement. Ahead of starting the procedure of sending and receiving the migrants, the Delhi government on Tuesday issued an SOP saying only asymptomatic people will be allowed in and out of the city.
The Directorate General of Health Services issued the standard operating procedure for screening the stranded persons before travel.