Tai: Western Railway Treating Indore Like 'Orphan'

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Sumitra Mahajan, a former Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP veteran who represented the city in the Lok Sabha eight times, has alleged that Western Railway is treating Indore like an 'orphan'. She has demanded better connectivity for the state's commercial capital and complained about shelved projects.

Mahajan wrote a letter to Western Railway (WR) general manager Ramashraay Pandey on July 20, which surfaced on Wednesday. In the two-page letter, Mahajan said, "I am addressing you with deep regret. It appears that Western Railway has considered the city an orphan. Instead of increasing the number of passenger trains, proposals submitted by other railway zones have also been shelved."

The North Western Railway had proposed passenger trains between Jaipur and Indore, while the West Central Railway had proposed a train between Rewa and Indore, but no action was taken, she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a MEMU service in 2021, but the rakes meant for it were taken away and the replacement DEMU rakes, which are worth 'bhangar' (scrap), frequently break down, Mahajan said, adding that the city residents were being treated as 'second-class passengers'.

She also mentioned the lack of railway services between Indore and Pune, Patna, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Ayodhya, besides a delay in expanding existing services.

Questioning the excuse of unavailability of lines and platforms, the former MP said Indore's Laxmibai Nagar railway station has two additional platforms, and the nearby Mhow town also has additional line capacity and maintenance facilities.

Pandey, during his two-day visit earlier this month, had inspected various projects in and around the city and instructed officials to complete the works within the stipulated time.

Referring to it, Mahajan asked in the letter, "You visited this area a few days ago. Are there adequate rail facilities (in the city) for a population of 40 lakh?" Notably, Indore is Madhya Pradesh's largest city by population. Railway travellers as well as political leaders have been complaining about the lack of adequate railway connectivity for decades.