Newmai News Network
Imphal | May 11
As many as 50 buses left Imphal for Jiribam on May 11 for onward transportation of 1,140 people from Manipur stranded in Tamil Nadu who are now heading for Manipur by a special train.
Jiribam is located some 200 km west of Manipur bordering Assam.
Meanwhile, the buses are arranged by the Manipur Transport department through the Truckers and Driver’s Council (TDC), Manipur. They were flagged off from Imphal’s Langjing Achouba Ground early morning morning.
Director of Manipur Transport department Mercina Panmei flagged off the 50 buses. The buses will pick up the stranded people arriving there by the special train from Chennai. After bringing them back to Imphal from Jiribam the people will be sent to their respective districts.
All the returnees will be lodged at the institutional quarantine centres in their respective districts while drivers and handymen of all the buses will be put at quarantine centres at ISBT and Khuman Lampak in Imphal after they drop the passengers.
The Transport director said that TDC had also agreed to provide buses for bringing home the stranded people from Manipur which would be transported by train from Punjab in the second phase and from Bangalore in third phase.
Reports said that the first phase special train left from MGR Central railway station, Chennai for Manipur with 1140 stranded people on Sunday at 8 pm. The train is scheduled to arrive at Jiribam railway station on May 12 and the 50 buses transporting them will be leaving Jiribam for Imphal on the next day, May 13.
The Manipur government chose Jiribam railway station as the destination point of the stranded people coming by trains even though, the station is a new one for ferrying passengers.
According to an official source in the Manipur Health department, the state government has taken special measures for screening the 1140 people on their arrival at the Jiribam railway station.
As many as 12 counters are ready at the gates of the railway station for screening the returnees. Each screening point would be manned by one doctor, one nurse and one volunteer, said the official.
