Residents seek washing line at Fazilka rly station

Fazilka, february 19

Residents and NGOs have demanded the reintroduction of washing line at the Fazilka railway station to enable the authorities to introduce more trains from Fazilka to far-flung areas.

The Railways had uprooted the washing line in 1991 after the conversion of meter gauge to broad gauge line on the Fazilka-Rewari section. Since then, residents have been demanding the setting up of the washing line here.

Northern Railway Passengers Samiti president Amar Lal Baghla in a letter to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has pleaded that no new trains could be originated from Fazilka without the setting up of a washing line. He said the Railways should introduce trains from Fazilka to Delhi via Muktsar-Bathinda and Fazilka to Chandigarh via Ferozepur as there was a huge potential to run trains on these routes. Notably, three luxury buses owned by the affluent Badal family ply on the Fazilka-Chandigarh route three times daily for which the passengers have to pay exorbitant fare.

The nearby railway stations where the washing lines are already set up are Sriganganagar and Ferozepur but both are overloaded and not able to meet the requirements due to a huge rush of trains. “There was sufficient land available with the Railway Department in Fazilka for the purpose,” pleaded Baghla. — OC