Gadchiroli Nov. 14 (District Correspondent) Bengali Samaj Howrah Train Rights Committee has demanded the extension of Chennai Bilaspur train upto Howrah to facilitate the Bengali and north indian resident of the Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts to travel to West Bengal.
A delegation of the Committee submitted a memorandum in this regard under the leadership of Haridas Biswas and Mukesh Walke to Gadchiroli -Chimur MP Dr. Namdeo Kirsan here the other day.
The committee reached 70 villages of Chandrapur, Kagaznagar and Gondia along with 48 villages of Gadchiroli in the last two months and collected as many 10,000 signatures of the residents. More than 20 Gram Panchayats have also prepared to pass the resolutions in this regard, pointed out the memorandum. As a part of this, the spokesperson of the movement Mukesh Walke, who has been raising this demand since 2006, informed that a joint protest will be held in Chandrapur shortly to raise the demand.
The delegation also met the Chandrapur MP Dhanorkar along with Railway DRM, former MLA Dr. Devrao Holi, former Union Minister of State Hansraj Ahir and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in this regard.
The Uttar Bharatiya Sangh has also supported the demand for extension of Chennai Bilaspur Express to Howrah. Vinod Singh Thakur has given such a letter. BJP’s Uttar Bharatiya Aghadi district president Rudranarayan Tiwari has also given a letter of support. Letter from Telugu Society and Trade Association will be available soon, informed Mr. Walke.
The real problem of Howrah train expansion is said to be that the railway authorities and the ministers are reluctant to make profit from the freight train only, it has been alleged. How was the Vande Bharat started when there is no demand for it, he asked.
The committee has suggested two other options for the travellers of these two districts. The Nanded Howrah Amrit Bharat Express be run via sirpur-Kagaznagar, Ballarshah and Chandrapur, or a new Amrit Bharat train be started from Kagaznagar via Chandrapur to Howrah.
