Chaos as 5,000 returnees descend on Palace Grounds
Only one 1,500-seat train scheduled on Saturday; minister assures more coaches
BENGALURU:
There was utter chaos at Palace Grounds on Saturday as nearly 5, 000 migrant from Odisha and the North-Eastern states gathered there in the hope of catching a train back to their home states.
The confusion and anger among the workers, who had come from all over Karnataka, arose because only one Shramik Special with a capacity of 1,500 passengers was scheduled to leave Bengaluru on Saturday.
On learning of the situation, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar, who was on his way to Chikkaballapur, rushed to the spot and attempted to calm the crowd, saying there was no need for panic as their travel would be arranged at the government’s expense. The Railways Minister would be asked to provide additional coaches, he said, and urged them to maintain social distancing.
The confusion arose when a message sent via the ‘Seva Sindhu’ app to those registered to return was forwarded to others as well.
Dr Sudhakar spoke to the Chief Secretary and other senior officials and instructed them to resolve the issue.
Doc to the fore
A trained medical doctor, the minister did not think twice before going to the aid of one of the workers who had a convulsive attack.
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