Train passengers in Kokrajhar railway station
Train passengers in Kokrajhar railway station. Image credit - Northeast Now

A total of 29 people including students and other people coming from New Delhi arrived at Kokrajhar railway station on Wednesday evening at 7.20 by New Delhi-Dibrugarh special train.

They were the first to arrive in the home state by the special train that left New Delhi on Tuesday.

Assam social welfare minister Pramila Rani Brahma, who is looking after the returnees of lower Assam, welcomed the students and other passengers at Kokrajhar railway station.

She waved traditional Aronai to the passengers passing through Kokrajhar as part of a goodwill gesture.

The arriving passengers underwent a screening test by a medical team before leaving the railway station.

Later, they were taken to the SAI quarantine centre at Kokrajhar and some of the students were taken to different hotels for 14-day quarantine.

The passengers, who got down at Kokrajhar railway station, hail from different places of nine districts of lower Assam.

Talking to reporters, minister Brahma said, “The students and other passengers, who are residents of various lower Assam districts, will be taken to the quarantine centre at SAI and the students will be taken to hotels for 14-day quarantine.”

Pramila Rani
Assam social welfare minister Pramila Rani Brahma along with others welcoming the train passengers. Image credit – Northeast Now

She also said many students and people from the state, who are stranded in various parts of the country due to the nationwide lockdown, now can return to their homes as the state government has taken every possible measure to bring back the stranded people.

She hoped the students and passengers, who arrived on the first train, will remain safe.

Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta visited the SAI quarantine centre in Kokrajhar on Wednesday to review the situation.

He also visited the Srirampur inter-state check gate and held discussions with the BTC IGP, Anurag Agarwal and Kokrajhar deputy commissioner Bhaskar Phukan.

Rinoy Basumatary is Northeast Now Correspondent in Kokrajhar. He can be reached at: [email protected]