‘First fix railway tracks…’ JMM MP Mahua Maji takes dig at Railways Ministry amid train derailments

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Amid the row over "reel" remarks, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji on Friday asked the Railways Ministry to fix the damaged railway tracks first and then the trains, days after the train derailments.
"The frequent train incidents are raising questions about where the budget is being spent. On one side, you inaugurate the Vande Bharat trains, but the railway tracks are damaged. First, you repair the tracks, then run the trains," the JMM leader asked the railways.
Speaking on the recent incident of the train derailment of the Howrah-CSMT Express near Chakradharpur in Jharkhand on Tuesday morning, in which two people were killed, the JMM leader questioned, "Why do coaches of the train get derailed? You (Railways) should fix the basic things".
She also alleged that "people were not booking" Vande Bharat trains due to "high fares." "Gates are not being closed properly, causing several accidents. The conditions are not such to run a high speed train in our country."
Speaking in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Railway Minister Ashwini said, "We are not the people who make reels; we do hard work, unlike you people who make reels to show off."
The Union Minister was referring to a July 9 post by the Congress where they had posted a video of LoP Rahul Gandhi interacting with Loco-Pilots claiming that the Pilots' lives were in pathetic condition.
"The Loco Pilots of our country are taking responsibility for the travel and lives of crores of Indians in very pathetic conditions. They are neither getting adequate comfort nor any basic facility inside the engine. For the safety of Indian Railways as well as crores of passengers, change in their lives is necessary," the Congress post had said.
In response, the minister said, "The average working and rest times of Loco pilots are decided by a rule that was formulated in 2005. In 2016, the rules were amended and Loco pilots were given more facilities. All the running rooms - 558 were made air-conditioned. Loco cabs vibrate much, heated up and hence more than 7,000 loco cabs are air-conditioned. It was zero in the time of those people who today show sympathy by making reels". (ANI)