BJP MP Kailash Soni demanded on Tuesday that the government restore railway fare concession that was given to senior citizens before the COVID-19 pandemic.
During special mentions in Rajya Sabha, Soni said a concession of 40 per cent was granted to all senior citizens which has been stopped now. "Due to this, senior citizens across the country are facing inconvenience and problems. I want to attract the government's focus on this important subject so that senior citizens are able to avail facilities as before," Soni said, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao demanded that the Ministry of Railways provide direct trains between Visakhapatnam and important cities of Uttar Pradesh such as Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Lucknow.
He said that more than two lakh people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have made Visakhapatnam their permanent home and also lakhs of people from the port city in Andhra Pradesh visit religious places in Uttar Pradesh. "Train connectivity between Visakhapatnam to Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur and Lucknow is seriously required. Unfortunately, there is not a single train from Visakhapatnam for these cities. Five years ago, a decision was taken to start a superfast express train from Visakhapatnam to Varanasi but it was never implemented," Rao said.
He said that a request for extending the bi-weekly Sambalpur-Varanasi (SBP-BSB) express to Visakhapatnam is pending with the Railway Board. "I request the Rail Minister and Railway Board to immediately extend SBP-BSB express to Visakhapatnam and approve starting of new trains for connecting to other cities of Uttar Pradesh," Rao said. BJP Member Iranna Kadadi placed a request for daily rail connectivity from Belgaum to Mumbai and Hyderabad.
