Local train services should be continued 24 hours a day during Ganeshotsav. For this, two additional trains should be run for the Konkan residents to go to their villages. NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has made this demand to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Minister of State for Railways Raosaheb Danve. In the press conference, Awhad said that during Ganeshotsav, many devotees along with their families come to Mumbai from Thane, Palghar and nearby areas to visit the Ganesh idols. At many places, they stand in queues for hours and due to non-availability of local train services or buses, they face problems in reaching home.
In the letter given to Danve, Awhad has told that the local service from Mumbai to Karjat, Kasara stops at 1 am and then starts at 4 am. Many people, who are not able to spend much money for other means of transport, have to spend the night either on the road or at the railway station if they do not get a train. Therefore, just as in Kolkata the train service continues throughout the night on Navratri, similarly in Mumbai, local trains should be run during the night from 19th to 28th September.
Apart from this, while describing the condition of the roads of Konkan, Jitendra Awhad said that due to potholes on the roads, the people of Konkan face a lot of plight and there is a possibility of accident. Due to getting stuck in traffic jams, two additional mail trains should be run for Konkan. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has run 567 buses for Ganeshotsav in Konkan and Western Maharashtra to facilitate the people going to villages for Ganeshotsav.
MP Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde flagged off the buses on Saturday. Buses will leave on Sunday also. More than 25 thousand people will be able to go to their hometown for free by these buses. Let us tell you that every year thousands of Ganesh devotees go to Konkan and Western Maharashtra. For these, the state government has made arrangements to increase the number of coaches of trains and run more ST buses. On the other hand, Shiv Sena has also arranged special buses at its level.
Due to reduced rainfall, Awhad has demanded Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to declare Maharashtra a famine-hit state on the lines of Karnataka, so that the farmers of the state can get some relief. Taking a jibe at the state government’s ‘Shasan Aapla Daari’ campaign, Awhad said that money is being spent unnecessarily in the name of Shasan Aapla Daari, due to which Maharashtra has become a ‘beggar’.