Happy to be home: 1,168 migrants arrive in Bhopal from Maha

A sense of relief was palpable

among a batch of migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh when they arrived by a special train at Habibganj station here on Thursday from Panvel in Maharashtra.

The special train, carrying 1,168 migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh, had left Panvel on Wednesday night and reached Habibganj station around noon, said a district administration official.

The migrant workers, who were stranded in Maharashtra because of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, which has rendered them jobless, were warmly received by district officials at the station.

A labourer said I was stuck in Mumbai since the last one-and-a-half months and rendered jobless because of the lockdown. But now I will be able to reach my home.

A team of officials led by Bhopal collector Tarun Pithode along with more than 35 health professionals, including doctors, received them at the station.

After intense medical screening they were provided with water and food, the official said.

"Those ...