by Preetam Brahma Choudhury
Kokrajhar : A total 29 passengers travelling by New Delhi-Dibrugarh special train de-boarded at Kokrajhar railway station. The passengers include students and labourers.
All the 29 passengers were taken to the quarantine facilities after initial screening and thermal temperature testing and the baggage sanitized.
This is the first train, carrying around 1200 passengers from Delhi to Assam. Around 7,000 passengers are likely to come back to Assam by seven trains from Delhi over the next week. The state government had requested the Union Ministry of Railways to arrange 12 trains, including the seven from Delhi, to repatriate people to the state, who were stranded across the country, including south and west India.
Assam Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner Bhaskar Phukan and other senior officials of the district civil and police administration were present at the station. As the train arrived at the station, the minister waved tradition aronai as a gesture to welcome the passengers to their home state.
Meanwhile altogether 1892 people were put up in various quarantine centre in Kokrajhar district so far.
Bhaskar Phukan, who took the charge as the new Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar yesterday said as per the record total 1892 people were kept at the quarantine centres in Kokrajhar district so far
Total 16 quarantine centres with a capacity to house 2655 people has been established in various part of Kokrajhar district for the people coming from other States of India to stay put in confinement. Various school, colleges, university including the Bodoland University, Central Institute of Technology(CIT). Bineswar Brahma Engineering College, Kendriya Vidyalaya, SAI Complex were turned into quarantine centres.
The district administration, the health department along with the police administration has made preparations to deal with people coming from other states of India but the biggest challenge is medical screening, collecting swab and then sending them to quarantine facilities.