New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged protesters against the ‘Agnipath’ scheme not to vandalise properties of the Railways. So far over 200 trains have been cancelled due to protests against the ‘Agnipath’ scheme, the Railways said on Friday.
According to zonal railways, 164 trains were cancelled in the East Central Railways (ECR), 34 in North Eastern Railways (NER), 13 in Northern Railways (NR) and around three in Northeast Frontier Railways.
Coaches of seven trains have so far been set ablaze by protestors, officials said. They added that coaches of three running trains in the ECR and one empty rake in Kulharia, in the same zone, were damaged by protestors. One coach of a train was also damaged in the washing line at Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia. So far, 64 trains were short-terminated in ECR, they said.
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The Southern Railways, in a statement, said all trains moving from its jurisdiction towards destinations in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh will be short-terminated due to widespread agitations and arson there over the Agnipath scheme.
“I appeal to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and not damage the property of the Railways,” Vaishnaw appealed.
The worst-hit East Central Railways – covering Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh which have witnessed widespread protests – has decided to ‘monitor’ the operations of some trains due to the agitations.
The officials said they are keeping an eye on train movement and will decide on their operation as the situation evolves.
So far one person have been killed in police firing in Secunderabad, the first casualty of protests against the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme that raged through several states for the third day Friday.
Railway officials said damage to fixed assets is difficult to assess at the moment.