Railway Ministry to look into resuming local train services in Assam: Union Minister Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI: Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal on Wednesday informed that the ministry will soon take actions regarding the resumption of local train services in Assam after a plea by senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia.

Piyush Goyal in a letter to Assam's Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia wrote, “I have received your letter regarding the resumption of local trains services in Assam. The letter has been sent to the concerned Directorate for consideration and necessary actions as per rules.”

Earlier on October 16, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia wrote a letter to the Railway Minister to draw attention to local railway services in the state which has been suspended for over seven months amid COVID-19 pandemic.

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Saikia in his letter said, “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that local train services have remained suspended in Assam for about seven months now as a consequence of the Corona-related lockdowns. I am sure that you can appreciate the immense hardship faced by the public, especially regular commuters, as a result of this lengthy stoppage of train services.”

Lamenting the condition of the citizens who were affected, he said “Those affected the most by this scenario are employees who travel daily to their work places in town and cities and return home in the evening, along with farmers, petty traders and vendors who sell their wares in urban areas on a daily basis. As you are aware, local train services, including short-distance services, have resumed in states like Maharashtra after the lockdown ended. This is a wise step and will hasten the pace of return to normal day-to-day activities.”

“The series of lockdowns took their toll on the economically weaker sections of society in Assam, just as they did elsewhere in the country. Operation of normal train services is a dire necessity for such people when it comes to their daily livelihood. As such, I request you kindly to issue necessary orders for resumption of local train services in Assam as early as possible.” Saikia further added in his letter to Goyal.

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