MARGAO
When a group of migrants walked with luggage along Margao’s Station road heading to the Margao railway station, it only brought back the bitter memories at the height of the Covid pandemic last year.
For, what had then started as a trickle initially had later exploded in an unprecedented exodus of migrants out of the state during the lockdown.
Konkan railway officials were, however, quick to say there has been any unusual rush of migrants to the Margao railway station during the second wave of Covid so far. In fact, KR’s senior Public relations officer, Baban Ghatge pointed out that it’s usual to find migrants at the Margao railway station to catch the Patna Express that leaves the state every Wednesday.
The movement of the migrants along the station road on Wednesday also coincided with the state government’s decision to go for a short lockdown in the state beginning from Thursday evening.
Konkan railway officials, however, were clear in saying that the rush of migrants at the Margao railway station is normally seen on Wednesday on two counts, one the Patna Express that leaves from Vasco before its makes a halt at Margao and the Vasco-Delhi Goa express train that chugs at Margao during noon time. “Since the Patna Express train leaves the state on Wednesday, there’s whole lot of demand for the train amongst the migrants. The Goa Express train also get passengers and visitors returning to their native states”, Ghatge said.
Saying that this situation may have made many to believe that migrants are leaving the state, Ghatge made it clear that it has so far not come to the notice of the railways that people are returning back to their native states.
