Congress demands Piyush Goyal's resignation over issues pertaining to Shramik trains

On Friday, May 29, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded the resignation of Railways Minister Piyush Goyal for the alleged diversion of Shramik Special trains and the death of 9 passengers in the last 49 hours. Contending that the trains were taking over 4 days to reach their destination, he alleged that the Centre had failed to help lakhs of migrants leading to chaos. Surjewala blamed the Railways Minister for indulging in politics. So far, 3840 Shramik Special trains have ferried 52 lakh migrant workers to their destination states. 

Indian Railways provides an explanation

The Indian Railways had offered an explanation of the issue pointed out by Surjewala on May 23 itself. Mentioning that 80% of the Shramik Special trains were bound for destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it stated that network congestion was being experienced on  North Central Railway & West Central Railway zones. Maintaining that delays in the running of these trains were expected, the Railways stressed that it had taken immediate action by diverting some trains on alternative routes. Meanwhile, the Railways also explained that the few unfortunate cases of deaths while travelling were related to pre-existing medical conditions. It advised persons with co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune deficiency conditions, pregnant women, children below the age of 10 years and persons above 65 years of age to avoid travel by rail, except when it is essential. 

Read: Chhattisgarh: CM Baghel Asks Officials To Arrange Biscuits, Water For Shramik Passengers

Owaisi slams Centre

Incidentally, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had also hit out at the Centre over the diversion of some Shramik Special trains on alternate routes which led to a delay in migrant workers reaching their native places. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Owaisi alleged that anything which the Centre touches becomes a crisis. According to him, the trains had also diverted from their designated route just like the Union government. Owaisi lamented that the citizens were reaping the consequences of not just COVID-19, but the lockdown which as per him was "unplanned" and "unconstitutional". 

Read: Menstrual Hygiene Day: Indian Railways Gives Sanitary Pads To Women On Shramik Trains