Asaduddin Owaisi lashes out at Centre over diversion of Shramik trains, questions lockdown

On Tuesday, May 26, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit out at the Centre over the diversion of some Shramik Special trains on alternate routes which led to a delay in migrant workers reaching their native places. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Owaisi alleged that anything which the Centre touches becomes a crisis. According to him, the trains had also diverted from their designated route just like the Union government.

Owaisi lamented that the citizens were reaping the consequences of not just COVID-19, but the lockdown which as per him was "unplanned" and "unconstitutional". Currently, there are 1,45,380 novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 60,491 patients have been discharged while 4,167 casualties have been reported. 

Read: Shramik Special Trains Row: Piyush Goyal Hits Out At MVA Govt, Urges For Full Cooperation

Railways provide explanation

The Indian Railways had offered an explanation of the issue pointed out by Owaisi on May 23 itself. Mentioning that 80% of the Shramik Special trains were bound for destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it stated that network congestion was being experienced on  North Central Railway & West Central Railway zones. Maintaining that delays in the running of these trains were expected, the Railways stressed that it had taken immediate action by diverting some trains on alternative routes.  

Read: Congress Wades Into Shramik Special Trains Row, Urges Piyush Goyal To Show 'patience'

Over 42 lakh migrant workers benefit from Shramik Special trains

Earlier in the day, the Railways said that the rail congestion witnessed on May 23 and May 24 had been resolved after active consultation with state governments and finding feasible routes for the journey. Since May 1, 3276 Shramik Special trains have ferried around 42 lakh migrant workers to their native places. The top 5 states from where trains have originated are Gujarat (897), Maharashtra (590), Punjab (358), Uttar Pradesh (232), Delhi (200). On the other hand, the maximum number of trains has terminated at Uttar Pradesh (1,428), Bihar (1,178), Jharkhand (164), Odisha (128) and Madhya Pradesh (120). While 2875 trains have terminated, 401 are currently running. In the last 4 days, 260 trains on average have run daily carrying about three lakh passengers.

Read: Shramik Special Trains Row: Piyush Goyal Lambasts MVA Govt, Advises Against Petty Politics

Read: Rail Ministry Hits A Milestone; 500 Shramik Trains Originated From Mumbai Central Division