Special train will bring back 1,204 stranded Himachalis from Goa next week: CM Jai Ram Thakur

A special train will bring back over 1,200 stranded Himachalis from Goa next week, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said.

Interacting with people from the state stranded in Goa through video link, the chief minister informed them that he had requested Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to ply a special train from the coastal state to Una in Himachal Pradesh, a spokesperson said.

Goyal has agreed that a special train would start from Goa on May 13 or 14, he added.

A total of 1,204 people from Himachal Pradesh have been stranded in Goa due to coronavirus-induced lockdown. Of them 398 are from Mandi district, 246 from Kullu, 241 from Kangra, 105 from Chamba, 70 from Shimla district and 43 from Solan district.

The chief minister urged the Andhra Pradesh government to provide assistance to Himachal Pradesh natives stuck at Prasanthi Nilayam in  Puttaparthi.

In a letter to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh government was receiving several from people stranded there for assistance, including food, shelter and medical care. Most of these people want to return to their native places, he added.