[ad_1]
New Delhi: The All India Railway Federation appealed to Congresswoman Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to refrain from falling into a “petty policy” on the fare for Shramik special trains and said the Railways charged money to prevent overcrowding in seasons.
In a letter to Gandhi, the Railways’ largest workers union said traveling during the coronavirus pandemic is dangerous, but that railroad employees make it possible thanks to their hard work.
“I request not to destabilize a good system that allows migrants to return home on 115 special trains due to negligible momentary political gains,” AIRF Secretary General Shiv Gopal Mishra said in the letter to the president of Congress.
Overcrowding at railway stations could lead to the spread of the coronavirus, he said.
The railways began operating special Shramik trains starting May 1 to transport migrant workers to their homes in different parts of the country.
Opposition parties accused the government of charging workers money for the train journey. However, the government has said that 85 percent of the fare is borne by the Railways and the remaining 15 percent is borne by the state government at the request of which a train is running.
As of Wednesday, the Railways said they transported more than 1.35 lakh of migrant workers home on more than 140 special Shramik trains.
…
