Kurnool : AITUC leader S Munneppa, AIYF district secretary K Srinivasulu, AISF district secretary Shabeer Basha and DHPS city secretary Kumar Raja have demanded immediate restoration of Kurnool to Vijayawada train, which was cancelled during COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday, a protest was staged in front of the railway station entrance under the leadership of AITUC city secretary G Chandrasekhar.
Speaking at the protest, the leaders mentioned that earlier MachilipatnamExpress used to run between Kurnool, the old capital, and Vijayawada, the new capital. However, during COVID pandemic, several trains were cancelled to ensure physical distancing.
‘Earlier, people from Kurnool district could travel to Vijayawada easily and conveniently. Now, people from Kurnool and nearby areas are facing difficulty in reaching Vijayawada, especially when they need to visit High Court, Secretariat, or for other official work. They have to travel to Dhone or Nandyal and from there has to go to Vijayawada, which causes great inconvenience to elderly and differently-abled passengers,’ they explained.
The leaders pointed out that even if people travel to Dhone or Nandyal for a train, general compartments are overcrowded, leaving passengers without seats. Therefore, they urged railway authorities and the local MP to respond immediately to restore Kurnool to Vijayawada train and allocating additional general compartments to existing trains. If their demands are not met, they warned of launching agitation under the leadership of CPI and other public organisations.
