State govt sweats over AC trains

State govt sweats over AC trains

Says Travellers Face Risk Of Virus Infection

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:  13.05.2020

The state government has expressed concern over operating air-conditioned trains between New Delhi and Kerala. Carrying large numbers of people in AC trains will increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission, it pointed out.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government has written to the Union railway ministry urging it to operate only sleeper coaches. “There is a high risk of transmitting the disease in air-conditioned compartments and several such instances have been reported in the country. Hence we have requested that AC compartments be avoided,’’ the CM said.

In Punjab, of the 4,198 people who travelled in AC buses,1,217 contracted the virus. The transmission occurred during the travel. Hence, it is most advisable to avoid travel in AC coaches, he said.

The state government, in its letter to the railway minister, said 29,366 guest labourers were sent to different states in 26 trains. All the trains were sleeper coaches and till date there has been no report of any transmission of the disease among them.

Social security mission director Dr Mohammed Asheel said that transporting people from highly infected zones in AC compartments involves a big risk. “They will be in the coaches for more than a day and this increases the chance of an asymptomatic carrier infecting fellow travellers,’’ he added.

The state government also expressed concern over persons being allowed to board the Rajdhani Express without any testing. There is every risk the state will have to face the consequences of a mass outbreak. It asked the railway ministry to ensure that enough precautions are taken by passengers and maximum social distancing is ensured in trains.

Meanwhile, the government has also asked the Centre to allow stops at all major stations in the state. At present, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram are the only designated stops.

“A person from Kasaragod will have to disembark at Mangaluru and travel by road to reach home. This has to be avoided. Hence the train should stop at all the major stations,’’ the chief minister said.

A man sprays disinfectant on a train before it rolls out of New Delhi station on Tuesday