BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Sunday wrote to union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after she almost missed her train at the Jhansi railway station.
Bharti, who was seated in the train after someone pulled the chain, alleged that she had reached the station on time but was delayed due to infrastructure issues and the train departing early. She further flagged “insensitivity in modernisation”, saying she had previously faced a similar issue at the Mathura railway station.
“Respected Railway Minister Ji, I had previously written about the insensitivity towards passengers at Mathura Railway Station. Today, while boarding at Jhansi Railway Station with me, another incident occurred in which there was no criminal involved; rather, the lack of practical sensitivity in constructing modern facilities at stations was the cause,” she said in a post on X.
Bharti said that she had arrived on time for the train, asking for the CCTV cameras at the station to be checked. “I had arrived at Jhansi Railway Station before the train's arrival, and this train arrived at Jhansi on time before the scheduled time and departed before the scheduled time,” she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}Bharti said that she had arrived on time for the train, asking for the CCTV cameras at the station to be checked. “I had arrived at Jhansi Railway Station before the train's arrival, and this train arrived at Jhansi on time before the scheduled time and departed before the scheduled time,” she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}Also read: At 8.4 million, SIR in Uttar Pradesh sees highest addition of voters from draft rolls
‘No mistake by anyone, but time wasted’
In the post, Bharti said that no human mistakes were involved in her delay, adding that she was travelling in a battery operated cart. However, she said that three to four minuetes of her time were wasted while waiting for a train to pass and due to a handcart stuck on the track.
“I was being taken in a battery-operated cart from Platform Number 1 towards Platform Number 4 when, in the meantime, a train passed for a long time on the track we needed to cross, and we had to wait; then, when we moved a little further, a handcart was stuck on the track—my security personnel assisted in removing it; then, when I reached Platform Number 4 and the Punjab Mail train I was supposed to board was already moving, I don't know who pulled the chain, and I was seated in the train,” she said.
She further said that officials at the station were aware of her “inability to walk quickly” and had therefore arranged for a battery operated cart. “Everything was as per schedule; there was no mistake by anyone; yet, three-four minutes were wasted for me in the train—the first reason was the train arriving before time and departing 2 minutes before schedule,” she added. Bharti urged for the modernisation of railways while keeping the “old systems vigilant.” She said that common people face these regularly and “become victims of this disarray.”