E-Paper
Demand to re-start Pune-Daund DEMU train
More than 10,000 passengers travel between Pune and Daund daily. Daund-Pune-Daund Pravasi Sangh has now given an ultimatum to the administration to start the Demu train services from next week or face protest
For more than 10,000 passengers travelling between Pune and Daund daily, the daily Pune–Daund shuttle Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (Demu) train operating daily is a lifeline. However, the train has not yet begun after lockdown despite repeated demands by passenger groups on the route.
The Daund-Pune-Daund Pravasi Sangh has now given an ultimatum to the railway administration to immediately start the Demu train services from next week or face protest.
“There are thousands of people who are working in the emergency services between Daund and Pune like government offices, semi-government, banks, police department, blood banks, hospitals and several other emergency services. The number of passengers travelling between both the cities is more than 10,000, so it is necessary that the shuttle Demu train service begins immediately. Earlier, we had a meeting with senior railway officials and repeatedly demanded to start the train, but nothing happened so we have now decided to go on a protest if the train doesn’t start from next week. Why are the Daund- Pune passengers treated badly,” asked Vikas Deshpande, secretary of the Daund-Pune-Daund Pravasi Sangh.
From October 12, the Pune-Lonavala local train service resumed after almost six months and since then the daily passengers on the Pune – Daund route have started demanding to start the daily Pune – Daund shuttle Demu.
The Demu train service between Pune and Daund was inaugurated in March 2017 by former union railway minister Suresh Prabhu. It is a 76-kilometre train route and there are ten halts on the route – Hadapsar, Manjari Budruk, Loni, Uruli Kanchan, Yavat, Khutbao, Kedgaon, Kadethan, Patas and Daund.
“I daily travel by ST bus from Daund to Pune for my job and many times I miss my scheduled bus and reach late to office. If the Demu train is started there won’t be any problem and so it should be started immediately. As the Pune Lonavala local train has started then our daily shuttle train should also start as thousands of passengers are dependent on it,” said Gautam Pardhe, a daily commuter on this route.
