Beopar Mandal seeks restoration of Howrah-Sriganganagar train

Our Correspondent

Abohar, October 16

The Beopar Mandal today sought BJP state president Ashwani Sharma’s help to get Sriganganagar-Abohar-Delhi-Howrah train restored.

A deputation led by mandal president Suresh Satija brought to BJP leader’s notice that 13007/13008 Udyan Abha Toofan Express, belonging to Eastern Railway zone, used to run between Howrah and Sriganganagar via Delhi-Bathinda-Abohar route. The train had been useful to transport kinnow fruit to the far-off states besides benefiting hundreds of migrant families.

The train passed through eight states — West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. The Eastern Railway cancelled its operations permanently from May 19, 2020, citing Covid-19 pandemic as the primary reason. Even when almost all other long-distance trains have been restored after the pandemic touched the bottom, this train has not been restored so far.

Satija said cancellation of its operations has affected hundreds of families that had come from UP, Bihar, Odisha and other regions to earn their livilihood in Abohar, Malout, Gidderbaha, Sriganganagar and other neighbouring areas. Most of them have settled here and working as farm workers, daily wage earners, labourers in industrial units, orchards etc.

They have to visit their native places on social and religious occasions besides taking care of their ancestral land holdings. For them, no other suitable long-distance fast train was available now. Besides, many businessmen also travel by this train to meet the requirements in other states. The BJP chief assured to take up the demand with the Union Government.

BJP reaches out to rural voters

• Eying 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP on Sunday reached out to the rural electorate that was equally responsible for the party’s unprecedented defeat in Abohar and Balluana constituencies in the March Vidhan Sabha poll
• The BJP organised maiden public meetings in rural areas after the defeat. At Amarpura and Kallarkhera villages, party’s state president Ashwani Sharma said ever since the AAP had came to power in the state, administrative performance had nosedived

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