the goan I network
MARGAO
Around 1473 stranded Himachal Pradesh natives working in Goa’s tourism sector, be it casinos, beach shacks and restaurants, left for their home state on Wednesday, while another 380 were left behind for want of seats in the special train.
While the special train carrying the 1473 stranded passengers left the Margao railway station at 6 pm for Himachal Pradesh, the 380 natives of HP were later taken to the Navelim indoor stadium, the designated shelter for the migrants.
Special Additional Collector South Sanjeev Desai told the media that the train with 24 coaches left for Guna in Himachal Pradesh. “The remaining stranded persons from that state could not be accommodated in the special train since it was packed to capacity,” he said.
To a question, he said the state administration will discuss the matter with the Himachal Pradesh state administration on the question of sending the remaining migrants to their native state. “The question of arranging another special train to Himachal Pradesh will be answered after the nodal officers of the two states discuss the situation,” he added.
The Margao railway station was virtually inundated with migrants from Himachal Pradesh since Wednesday morning as the district administration went about the task of completing the procedures for their train journey. While the administration cleared the passengers, they were later screened by a health team in makeshift camps at the entrance of the railway station.
Some of the natives expressed satisfaction that the train would finally take them to their native state. “Some of us were working in the casinos. There were others employed in beach shacks and the restaurants,” informed a migrant.
They expressed their willingness to come back to Goa after normalcy returns. “Our casino owners have told us that they will call us back for work once the situation stabilizes. Till such time, we will spend time at home,” a native said.
