About 36 women migrant workers employed in various garment companies in Tiruppur district boarded the train to their hometown in Jharkhand after railway authorities from Salem Division attached an additional coach to Train No. 03352 Alappuzha – Dhanbad special train on Wednesday.
According to Latha Sundaram, Managing Trustee of Coimbatore-based NGO Aram Foundation who is also an employee with Salem Division of Southern Railway, the women boarded the train at Tiruppur Railway Station at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. She said that a private cement manufacturing company contacted her on Monday regarding the migrant workers, who were from Dumka district in Jharkhand and wanted to return to their hometown amid the COVID-19 lockdown. While the train tickets were already booked for them, the bookings were wait-listed, she said.
Ms. Sundaram said that she contacted the higher authorities regarding this request, following which A. Annadurai, Additional Divisional Railway Manager of Salem Division, approved the attachment of an additional coach to Train No. 03352 Alappuzha – Dhanbad special on Tuesday. “The coach was attached at Coimbatore [Junction],” she said, following which the train reached Tiruppur Junction.
