As many as 1,486 Himachalis returned to their home state by train from Goa today.
They were stranded at Goa due to countrywide lockdown and were desperate to return to their home.
They were received amid clapping by the employees who were deputed at the railway station to facilitate them.
Deputy Commissioner, Una, Sandeep Kumar, District Police Chief, Kartikeyan Gokulchandran and other officers from district administration were present on the occasion to receive these people.
The Deputy Commissioner told that the batch consisted of passengers belonging to Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Kangra, Solan, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur.
The people were asked to get down district wise to follow social distancing. The state-run Himachal Run Transport Corporation buses were hired to send them to their destinations.
Two exit gates were planned to take them out of railway station. Their hands were sanitized; all were thermally screened and were given food and drinking water.
Deputy Commissioner, Sandeep Kumar told that people of Una district would be kept in the institutional quarantine and their samples would be collected for COVID-19 testing. If the report comes negative, they will be kept under home quarantine for 14 days.
Trains from Maharashtra and Chennai will be arriving soon, for which the administration has already geared up. “The Himachalis, who want to come to their state, can apply on covid19epass.hp.gov.in. Their pass will facilitate them as their rail ticket. The state government is bearing all expenses”, he said.