A video of water leaking from the roof of a passenger train coach triggered taunts and jibes at Indian Railways. A passenger of Avantika Express shared the video showing the abysmal condition of an AC coach during rainfall as water leaked from its roof.
The Congress party reshared the video saying, “Wish some work would have been done for the Railways instead of empty propaganda.”
“The railway minister who shows the flag is currently abroad, the named railway minister should pay attention,” it added, in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has flagged off all 18 Vande Bharat Express.
Netta D’Souza, acting president of Mahila Congress, tweeted, “Who is responsible for the plight of Indian Railways?”
“Indian Railway has launched NEW SUITE COACH with open shower facility,” said a Twitter user in a sarcastic post. “Indian railways are also discussing to provide shower gel, Shampoo & Bathrobe to the passengers in these trains (sic),” the user added.
Another user wrote, “Despite paying a premium fare for a 2-tier AC seat, passengers continue to endure significant inconveniences. Will #IndianRailways consider refunding the fare to passengers of the affected coach??? Seriously, the quality of railway service is deteriorating with each passing day, which is deeply disheartening.”
Hours later, Western Railway said that the issue was promptly attended and all coaches of Avantika Express were thoroughly checked.
“The train has commenced its return journey & there are no such issues now,” it said. “Passenger convenience is of utmost priority & WR leaves no stone unturned to resolve passengers’ grievances.”
This comes amid the Opposition’s criticism of railways, with several passengers complaining about train delays and overcrowded coaches.
Earlier this month, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal came down heavily on the ruling BJP at the Centre, saying the government has destroyed the well-running fleet of trains. Kejriwal claimed that AC and sleeper coaches have become worse than the general compartments as the passengers with allotted berths don’t get adequate space to sit or sleep. Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) said that train coaches have been turned into ‘torture centres’ for the passengers.
