Railways move to cut cancer patients’ quota opposed

CHANDIGARH - Akali Dal MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal Sunday urged Railways Minister Mamta Banerjee not to reduce the quota in railways for cancer patients and their attendants.

In a letter to Banerjee, she said that due to ground water problems, Bathinda and Malwa region of Punjab witnessed a steep rise in cancer cases and the union government has already initiated studies to determine the exact cause.

“Most of the cancer patients from Bathinda are going for their treatment to Rajasthan and New Delhi. We want railways to start a New Delhi-Bathinda Shatabdi besides adding new bogeys to the existing trains,” Badal said.

“It is regretful that instead of meeting our demands for the benefit of cancer patients, railways have now reduced the existing quota for them,” Badal, the wife of Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, said in her letter.

Badal particularly opposed the Railway Board notification of May 19 in which a lesser number of berths, in various classes, have been earmarked as the emergency quota and the first priority for cancer patients in the quota has been withdrawn.

“We had to struggle hard to introduce emergency quota for cancer patients as in my constituency Bathinda, cancer patients going for treatment to other places were finding problem in train bookings. This quota vacated by cancer patients would be used for railways and other government officials,” she said.

Seeking immediate withdrawal of the May 19 notification, Badal said: “Railways must stick to the original quota and any encroachment by other categories in this quota should not be allowed. I urge the minister to take a humanitarian view of whole problem of critically ill cancer patients”.