Indian Railway Worried Of Naxalites
By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News NetworkSaturday, April 24, 2010
NEW DELHI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- In a recent statement, Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee said that the instances of Naxalite attacks on Railway properties and trains have gone up significantly. She reported that owing to such attacks Indian Railways has lost nearly INR 500 crore in last year. The minister made this information available to Rajya Sabha. Even two years back the incidents of Naxal attacks on trains were not as frequent as she said. The minister said that she is trying her level best to increase the safety of the passengers and railway but it is not possible to keep tab on the entire 65,000 km rail track in the country.
The Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee said in her statement that the state governments also need to step up patrol in the rail tracks in the remote regions to prevent incidents of property theft and damage. She said that the state governments in India need to remember that maintaining law and order is their responsibility. The minister said that the trains running over the states like Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand are suffering the most from the Maoist and naxalite assaults. The Indian Railway is losing money in these states.
The minister said that the Maoist attacks on trains not only make the lives of the passengers endangered but also adversely affects freight and cargo movement, thus affecting trade. When asked whether the Indian Railway is considering bringing down the speed of the superfast trains to evade accidents in Maoist run areas, she said that no such step has been decided so far.
