Unable to manage train seat, man buys car and heads home

Lallan, a painter in the NCR city Ghaziabad, waited near a railway station for three days for his turn to get on to a Shramik special.

On the fourth day, he went to the bank, withdrew all his savings of Rs 1.9 lakh and headed straight to a second hand car seller.

He bought a used car for Rs 1.5 lakh, and travelled back to his home in Gorakhpur along with his family, vowing never to return.

A resident of Kaitholia village in PP Ganj in Gorakhpur, Lallan said, "After the lockdown, I stayed on hoping that things would soon return to normal. When the lockdown kept getting extended, I thought it would be safer for me and my family to return to our village. However, we made several attempts to get seats on buses or trains but failed."

Lallan said that the buses, in any case, were overcrowded and he feared that his family may get infected with the coronavirus if they travelled without maintaining social distancing.

"Finally, when I failed to get seats in the Shramik trains, I decided to buy a car and travel home. I know I have spent all my savings but at least my family is safe," he said.

Lallan left Ghaziabad in his car with his family on May 29 and reached Gorakhpur on the following day after a 14-hour journey.

Lallan, who is in home quarantine, is now hopeful of getting work in Gorakhpur. "If I can get work here, I will not return to Ghaziabad," he said.