Keonjhar: Keonjhar MP Chandrani Murmu has urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to restart Puri-Barbil Intercity Express at the earliest.
Murmu said the train has been off the rails since March 2020 due to COVID-19 outbreak. As of now, things have returned to near normalcy. Educational institutions have already been opened.
“While Puri-Bangiriposi train to Mayurbhanj district has been resumed, the Puri-Barbil Intercity Express train service is yet to be operational. The Railways is earning Rs 15 crore as revenue every day from Keonjhar district. Yet, the district is being subjected to step-motherly treatment,” she alleged.
Expressing her concerns over the suspension of the train, she further said that the said train was withdrawn after making it operational only for three days in last October citing losses as a cause. “The resumption of the train will help at least 3,000 people a day travel to different destinations,” she added.
“If the train service between Puri and Barbil is not resumed, general people, as well as political parties, will resort to agitation and halt goods train services,” she warned.
PNN
