Pushpak Special on track, livelihood gets green light
LUCKNOW: The quest for livelihood has pushed back the fear of the Covid-19 disease. That is why hundreds of migrants, private sector employees and self-employed people are returning to their places of work in Mumbai and elsewhere from Lucknow, all aboard the Pushpak Express Special, after having made an arduous journey home just a few weeks ago.
No wonder, a passenger, Sheikhu Alam, who works for an aluminium window frames unit in Bhopal, says, “It’s better to die of coronavirus than hunger.”
Known as the ‘lifeline’ between the Uttar Pradesh capital to the country’s financial hub, the train got going on June 1. In three days of its operation, over 1,100 passengers have boarded the train from Lucknow.
On Wednesday alone, 283 passengers boarded the Pushpak Express Special in Lucknow, according to Mahesh Gupta, public relations officer, North Eastern Railway (Lucknow).
“We were asked to leave by the ‘seth’ (the employer) after the lockdown was announced on March 24. When we were leaving, he gave us Rs 500 each as the fare and told us to see him once things got back to normal. I was accompanied by six others from Bahraich who returned to UP,” said Alam, resident of Bahraich. As the sole breadwinner for his family of nine, he had no option but to resume work, he said.
On his return home, the initial
days of the lockdown were good for Alam as it was after almost two years that he was meeting his family members.
“We enjoyed ourselves with Ammi, Abbu and the siblings. We savoured all the delicacies that we could afford—biryani, korma and others. The initial days were good,” said Alam.
But, problems began after nearly a month when Alam’s savings almost got exhausted.
“I had saved money for two years, most of which I have spent. Now, I am left with little money. Somehow, we waited for the lockdown to end. Now that it is almost over, we are returning to our job as its better to die of corona than hunger,” said Alam, who was travelling by sleeper class. Other migrant labourers from Baharaich were with him in the same compartment. All of them work in the same unit in Bhopal. Aiman Khan, who was travelling in an air-conditioned coach, was on his way back to Mumbai.
“We own a small restaurant on Meera Road, Mumbai. On March 19, after the Covid-19 cases began spreading across the country, my brother Shahdab and I decided to go back to our hometown Lucknow. But now that the lockdown phase is almost over, we have decided to resume work at our restaurant since it was the only source of income for the family,” said Khan. Deepak Rai, who works with an automobile company, said, “This phase is not good for any company. Hence, I am going to resume work.”
The Pushpak Express Special ferried 437 passengers on the first day. There were around 420 passengers onboard the second day. The scene is no different on other trains departing from Lucknow. As many as 620 passengers boarded the New Delhibound Gomti Express on June 1, 269 on June 2 and 300 on June 3.
Mahesh Gupta, the NER public relations officer, said, “Things are getting back to normal. The railway administration is following all protocols regarding Covid 19. For the benefit of people, special train services have started from June 1. It also includes the train connecting Mumbai and Lucknow.”
The Pushpak Express’s movement, along with all other trains across the country, came to a halt when the lockdown was announced on March 24 evening. In a major relief operation, the UP government brought back over six lakh migrant labourers, who were stranded in Maharashtra.
The railways resumed the operation of 100 pairs of passenger trains, other than the Shramik Specials, on June 1.