Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday appealed to the agitators in West Bengal and Haryana to lift rail blockades and not damage railway property. “I appeal to all the demonstrators in West Bengal and Haryana [they may have genuine grievances] not to block rail tracks as a means of protest,” Mr. Prabhu said at an event near the city airport where he inaugurated a number of projects.
His comments come at a time when protesters demanding Statehood or Union Territory status are blocking the tracks in Cooch Behar and members of the Jat community are staging rail blockades in Haryana demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions.
Describing the right to demonstrate as a “democratic right,” the Minister urged the protesters to think about passengers who could not afford any other modes of transport apart from rail. The Minister urged the protesters not to damage or burn Railway property and said that to repair such damage to property the Railways had to use a lot of funds, which hampered introduction of additional services.
“Due to the agitation in Haryana the Railways have lost very precious property. If you burn Railway property then forget additional services. It will be difficult even to strengthen the present infrastructure,” Mr. Prabhu said.
Despite the appeal, the protesters in Cooch Behar continued to block railway lines.
“The ball is in the court of the administration. We want to initiate a dialogue with the Home Ministry on our demands. Either someone should come and talk to us or use force and remove us from here,” Bangshi Badan Barman, the general secretary the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA) told The Hindu .
The representatives of the GCPA are demanding statehood or Union Territory status for Cooch Behar.
Apart from unveiling the Plaque for “Commencement of Construction Work of Underground Metro between Airport and Jessore Road,” Mr. Prabhu launched 14 additional trains for the Kolkata Metro during the morning and evening peak hours. Currently the Metro Railway runs 274 trains on weekdays. He also announced the commencement of construction work of Underground Metro between Airport and Jessore Road.
