Indian Railway unable to fulfill criteria of plying 150 trains daily for Maharashtra: Nawab Malik

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on Tuesday said that Indian Railways was "unable to fulfil the criteria of plying 150 trains daily for Maharashtra".

He said that state government have followed the Centre's protocol to take permission from Nodal officers of different states for movement of the migrants.

"Centre's protocol to take permission from Nodal officers of different states for the movement of migrants was followed by us. Railway department was unable to fulfil the criteria of plying 150 trains daily. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal is trying to cover up Railway department failure," said Nawab Malik.

This comes after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that concerned about the migrant labourers stuck in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked to immediately arrange for 145 trains that Maharashtra government demanded, to ensure that migrants are sent back immediately to their homes.

Goyal said that Indian Railways worked all night to ensure compliance of PM's order. Piyush Goyal said that despite the fact that the Maharashtra government sent incomplete details and incoherent list, 145 trains were sent to Maharashtra.

"Out of 74 trains which were to go until now, till 5 pm Maharashtra govt could give us passengers only for 24 trains which have departed. 50 are just standing in Maharashtra," Goyal said.

( With inputs from ANI )