Key Points:
- The Indian Railways, on Friday, announced that there were no plans on stopping the train services due to coronavirus pandemic.
- The Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma said that there is no shortage of trains for people who want to travel and also ruled out the mandate to have COVID-19 negative certificate to travel.
- In the summer months travelers at stations is quite common and a lot of people’s fear of an imminent lockdown is also the reason for the crowds.
Almost half the country is currently under a partial Lockdown due to the increasing Covid-19 cases. Amidst the chaos, the Indian Railways, on Friday, announced that there were no plans on stopping the train services due to coronavirus pandemic. Railway Board chairperson Suneet Sharma cleared the air around the government body’s plan amid rising cases of the infection.
The Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma also said that there is absolutely no shortage of trains for people who want to travel.
He assured that trains will be available for people who want to travel. Thus, there is no cause for alarm, he stated.
Suneet Sharma also said that if there is any rush, the Indian Railways can immediately run its services on demand.
Due to the number of Covid-19 cases on a rise, states have closed routes to other states in order to control the spread and hence, passengers are seen in crowds at the Railway stations to go back home.
“Crowds seen at railway stations normal during these months, we will increase number of trains as per request,” said Sharma.
Many travellers, speaking to the media, said the fear of an imminent lockdown was the reason behind their trips.
No only that Indian Railways will run smoothly as require, the Chairman Suneet Sharma also ruled out the need for a COVID-19 negative certificate to travel by Indian Railways’ trains.
Sharma added that the Railways have not received any notification from the state of Maharashtra either, to stop or curtail the passenger trains because of the increasing Covid-19 cases.
The Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma clarified this in the mid of a chaos on the country due to the sudden spike in the cases of Coronavirus. The state governments are imposing various restrictions. States of Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat are among others have either imposed a statewide night curfew or have announced partial lockdowns in their cities. Delhi too, enforced a night curfew from 10pm to 5am on April 6.
IRCTC shares were trading 1.5% higher at ₹1750 in noon trade on Saturday.
