A petition has been filed before the State Human Rights Commission seeking a directive to the Southern Railway to provide sufficient coaches on the Alappuzha - Ernakulam MEMU train (No. 66314).
The petition also sought a directive to reschedule the Kayamkulam - Ernakulam passenger train (No. 56350) so as to reach Ernakulam by 10 a.m. instead of at 11.15 a.m. at present.
The petition was filed by D.B. Binu and another passenger. According to them, the MEMU was introduced in place of a morning passenger train. While the passenger train had 16 coaches, the MEMU has only 12 coaches. As the MEMU train is already overcrowded, there is a need to introduce more coaches or alternative trains. Urgent action is required to increase the capacity of the train service on the stretch.
The Alappuzha - Ernakulam route was mainly used by daily wage workers who earned meagre income for their livelihood. The reduction of coaches and change of trains had seriously affected the right to life of such workers, the petitioners said.
