Mumbai: In view of the rising number of deaths reported on the Shramik special trains, the Indian Railways on Friday appealed to citizens above 65 years of age, pregnant women or children below 10 years of age, and citizens with co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, etc) not to travel on these trains.
This comes after the deaths of at least nine passengers on May 27 on these trains.
“It has been observed that some people who are availing this service have pre-existing medical conditions, which aggravate the risk they face during the Covid-19 pandemic. A few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions have happened while travelling," said the ministry of railways in a release.
“In order to protect vulnerable persons from Covid-19, in line with the Ministry of Home Affairs… Ministry of Railways makes an appeal that persons with co-morbidities (for example - hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune deficiency conditions), pregnant women, children below the age of 10 years and persons above 65 years of age may avoid travel by rail, except when it is essential,” it added.
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Indian Railways, the release said, was working round the clock to ensure services are provided to all citizens who want to travel.
“But the safety of our passengers is our biggest concern. So, we seek the cooperation of all citizens in this matter. In case of any distress or emergency please do not hesitate to reach out to your railway parivaar and we will help you as always (Helpline number - 139 & 138),” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer (CPRO), Central Railway.
Ravinder Bhakar, CPRO, Western Railway, said, “We are also appealing to passengers to travel only in an emergency.”
