20220617 Agnipath stir in Bihar: Railways a soft target of attacks, incurring huge losses
India Jun 17 2022 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 1 to 9
Agnipath stir in Bihar: Railways a soft target of attacks, incurring huge losses
Updated: 2022-06-17
PATNA: Unbridled protests and agitations by the Army job aspirants across Bihar have incurred a huge loss of revenue in crores to railways. Incidentally railways has been made a soft target of attacks by the furious mob for reasons not directly related to it.
Expressing serious concern and anguish, senior railway officials of the East Central Railway (ECR) said railways is the public property for the use of common people.
“Railways has no role in the present ongoing stir. Yet agitated youths have targeted railways in protest against new Army recruitment ‘Agnipath’ scheme and damaged locomotives, coaches, signaling system, tracks, passenger amenities and booking counters at different places falling under the ECR jurisdiction during the past three days,” said an official.
According to ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar, it was really unfortunate that the senseless mob had completely damaged and uprooted new fittings at the newly commissioned platform number 4 at the Ara station. Window glass planes, chairs and entire newly built booking office were thrown into pieces. Railways had provided these facilities at Ara station for the convenience of Ara people.
Besides, detention of long-distance mail and express trains at roadside stations have caused great hardships to passengers. Railways find it difficult to provide water, eatables and medicines to needy passengers if passenger trains are detained hours long at desolated places in Bihar. Thus the protestors must realise that they are troubling more their fellow brothers and sisters by blocking rail traffic movements as well as setting coaches and locomotives on fire, ECR officials said.
According to the CPRO, railways has been facing the brunt of agitated mob in Bihar for a long time. Be it a land dispute, dead body found nearby tracks, bandh call, crackdown on Naxals and criminals, railways has always been the soft target of attacks and damages, he said adding it is high time that sanity must have prevailed among agitators that targeting railways would ultimately be public loss for no valid reasons.
Danapur railway official condemned attacks on railway and asked the agitated army job aspirants instead of targeting railway property should protest before the proper place in Danapur cantonment area.
Meanwhile, railways has set up helpline booths at Danapur (9341505327, 9341505326), Hajipur (8252912078), Barauni (8252912043), Darbhanga (9264492779) Khagaria (8252912031), Samastipur (9771428963, 06274 -232250), Saharsa ( 8102919168), Gaya (0631-2224055), Dhanbad (0326-2220080), Koderma (9334837103) and Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya Junction (738888100) to give updates and information to people about disruption in rail traffic movements and cancellation of trains in the ECR, CPRO said.
Web Source: The Times of India