Mamata petitions PM against 'whimsical' scheduling of Shramik trains

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention on Wednesday in the alleged “whimsical” functioning of the railways in sending Shramik Special trains to West Bengal daily and urged the BJP-led central government not to pursue politics when the state is battling the dual crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the trail of destruction left behind by Cyclone Amphan.

The state’s infrastructure is “stretched to its limit” following the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan, she said, adding that West Bengal can receive very few trains carrying migrant workers on a daily basis as of now.

The state considers the ferrying of a large number of migrant workers by the railways as a big problem for public health. The pressure should be “optimal and well managed”, Ms. Banerjee said.