Rail Roko day 2: Prabhu urges protesters not to block tracks

In view of ongoing agitations in Cooch Behar, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday urged the protestors to lift the rail block as it causes serious inconvenience to the passengers.

While addressing a programme in the city Prabhu said that the protestors should stop the rail blockade as it affects the common people. As a large number of people regularly travel in trains as they have no other means of transportation. The protestors should therefore lift the rail block in Cooch Behar. “People have the right to demonstrate as it is their democratic right. But they should not cause inconvenience to the common people by putting up a block on railway track. We wanted to launch a project in Cooch Behar but it could not be made possible due to the agitation there. The protestors might have genuine grievances but they should not block tracks as an instrument to fulfil their demands,” Prabhu said. Even travelling by bus cost the passengers more than what they would have to pay in rail travel. “I appeal to the protestors in West Bengal and Haryana not to block railway track. Agitation in Haryana has lead to huge loss for the railway. Railways are always under pressure. If people damage railway property, the Railway has to pump in more money to compensate the damage and money is thus wasted in this fashion. Railways incur huge losses due to these agitations. ” Prabhu said. The rail blockade continues to paralyse the train services for the second day causing severe inconvenience to the commuters. A passenger who was travelling in down Kanchangunjha Express fell ill and later died before it had reached Alipurduar. Binay Kumar Thakur a resident of Kishangunge in Bihar fell ill on Saturday night. As he was vomiting blood his wife decided to take him to his home town. They boarded the train from Guwahati. When the train reached Alipurduar after 1 pm on Sunday he was found dead.