Mamata asks railways to provide trains for TMC's July 21 rally

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked the railways to provide adequate trains from northern West Bengal so that people can travel to her TMC's July 21 rally in Kolkata.

Maintaining that the railways denies trains despite taking bookings for special rakes, thereafter making refunds, she asked Chief Secretary BP Gopalika to take up the issue with the authorities concerned.

"It is the duty of the railways to clear the rush," Banerjee, who heads the TMC, said.

The CM said that when she was the railway minister, she saw that during big events like Kumbh Mela, it was the duty of the railways to provide more train services.

"There are two options, either you provide special trains on payment of fees, or you clear the rush of extra passengers on your own," she said.

Banerjee said that people from northern West Bengal will start to come to Kolkata from July 18 to attend the annual rally, which will be more significant in the wake of the TMC's impressive show in the Lok Sabha elections, in which it won 29 of the 42 seats in the state.