State reports 4 deaths; 257 new cases take total Covid tally to 4,320
Govt to pay lumpsum to railways, will also pay for bus trips to rly stations
BENGALURU:
In a pro-active response to the plight of migrants who cannot pay for their travel back to their home states, the Karnataka government has decided to bear the cost of their train journeys.
On Saturday, Principal Secretary N Manjunatha Prasad, who is the nodal officer for migrants, communicated the decision to all departments of the government.
Accordingly, the train fare of all outbound passengers in Shramik Special trains will be paid directly to the Railways. The state government will deposit a lumpsum amount in the account indicated by the Divisional Railway Manager, which will be adjusted as per the number of trains which depart every day.
In the case of states like Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, which are themselves picking up the tab for their own returning citizens, the Karnataka government will not be obliged to bear the cost of travel.
The Managing Directors of BMTC and KSRTC have been informed not to collect the bus fare for ferrying migrants and other stranded persons to different railway stations for their journey home by the Shramik Special trains. The mode of reimbursement to BMTC and KSRTC will be communicated separately.
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