New Delhi: Delegations from the BJP and Congress met Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday and appealed for the resumption of train services in the state.
Three delegations - two from Congress, and one from the BJP - today met Goyal in the national capital.
While one Congress delegation comprised of the party's Lok Sabha MPs, the other comprised Rajya Sabha MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo.
Following the meeting, BJP's Tarun Chugh said that rail blockades were being held at over 30 spots in Punjab as part of the ongoing farmers' stir. He said coal was unable to reach Punjab with no rail services, which could lead to electricity issues in the state.
He added that goods were also transported to the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir via rail, and this could have a direct impact on national security.
The Punjab government must take up the issue seriously and vacate the tracks soon, he said.
Read: Punjab CM stages dharna in Delhi, alleges step-motherly treatment by Centre
Echoing similar views, Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said that farmers in the state might face issues with it being the wheat sowing season now.
Bajwa said Goyal's attitude was positive at the meeting, and added that he would appeal to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh to work together with the Centre and resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways in a statement said, "Minister of Railways met various MPs from Punjab today and assured them that the Railways was ready to resume train services as soon as state government ensures that it is fully safe to run the trains and tracks are cleared."
Read: Punjab BJP delegation seeks Railway Minister's intervention to resume train services in state
