30 babies delivered on board Shramik Special trains since May 1

Thirty children have been born onboard the Shramik Special trains since the start of May, providing some of the migrant workers a tinge of joy amid all the odds they faced in their bid to reach home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Among them is a baby girl who was delivered after her mother, on her way to her home state of Uttar Pradesh from Karnataka on a Shramik special train, suddenly developed labour pains and was aided by women travelling with her.

Her husband, Sandeep, a construction worker here, told PTI that they boarded the train on Friday. His wife went into labour on Saturday evening, following which the other women
formed a protective shield around her and aided in the birth.

The couple were on their way to their native village Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh.

Sandeep said his wife gave birth to the baby girl as the train approached Bina station in Madhya Pradesh. Doctors there medically examined her and certified her fit for her onward
journey.

He said his co-travellers informed Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield Division) M.N. Anucheth and an Indian Forest Service Officer Dipika Bajpai, who are working for migrants
needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, then alerted their batchmates in Uttar Pradesh.

The couple got off at Lucknow, after which the woman and her newborn were taken to a hospital by an ambulance.

“The doctors did a medical check and gave some medicines.We then continued with our journey on a government bus to our home town Balrampur,” Sandeep said.

Inspector-General of Police and Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration), Bengaluru city police, Hemant Nimbalkar, said the woman had boarded the Shramik Special
train without informing the authorities about her condition.

Related news: UP-bound Shramik special train diverted to Odisha to ‘decongest lines’

“Her relatives too did not inform the authorities about her pregnancy. In fact, the pregnant woman insisted on going back to her home town,” Nimbalkar told PTI.

Sharing the joy along with the photograph of the woman, Nimbalkar tweeted, “We made it @BlrCityPolice (Bengaluru City Police)! The mother and baby are fine & healthy.. Folded hands to DCP Whitefield (M N Anucheth) who made it possible to board train to UP for this pregnant lady and husband. She delivered on board and all is well…”

We made it @BlrCityPolice!
The mother and baby are fine & healthy..

?to @dcpwhitefield who made it possible to board train to UP for this pregnant lady & husband.

She delivered on board and all is well. Anuchet ensured; she is taken care on board & couple shared baby’s photo! pic.twitter.com/dv35rpfOtl

— Hemant Nimbalkar IPS (@IPSHemant) May 23, 2020

The Director-General of Police Praveen Sood too wished the family well, tweeting, “A new dawn…wishing the newborn a healthy beginning.”

The first baby to be delivered on board these trains was Mamta Yadav’s little one who came to the world on May 8 while his mother was travelling to Bihar from Gujarat alone.

Officials say the train left the Jamnagar railway station at 8 pm. Mamta, 35, began to experience the labour pain around midnight. Her compartment was turned into a labour room of sorts with other passengers moving out. A team of doctors and railway staff supervised Yadav’s condition as she delivered a healthy baby girl, whom her co-passengers instantly christened Corona Kumari, the officials said.

“Whenever a passenger needs help, the onboard staff alerts the station where medical aid is available next and the doctors who live in railway colonies around the station are always there to deal with any emergency,” according to the Railways spokesperson.

The national transporter has run around 2,800 Shramik Special trains, almost seven lakh more than the initial projection of 24 lakh, according to the latest government data and these births, which almost always leads to a lot of manic activity, is a welcome relief from the daily routine of chugging trains.

While these children are born surrounded by strangers, their first cries are heard by thousands on board.

A baby girl born on Sunday on board a special train to Uttar Pradesh was named Lockdown Yadav. 

(With inputs from agencies.)