Latur bandh called to protest extension of train till Bidar

Rail commuters in Latur have called for a bandh tomorrow to oppose the extension of the Latur-Mumbai Express train till Bidar in adjoining Karnataka.
"At a time when hundreds of passengers fail to get confirmed tickets from Latur to Mumbai, extending the train till Bidar has added to hardships of Latur commuters," said local Congress corporator Vikrant Gojamgunde.
"The train was started in 2008 due to the efforts of late (chief minister) Vilasrao Deshmukh, who hailed from Latur. The British-era Kurduwadi-Latur narrow gauge section was converted into broad gauge to facilitate launching of the train," Gojamgunde said.
"The train has been achieving full occupancy rate since it was started. Last year, there were plans to extend it till Nanded, but were dropped due to an agitation by Latur rail commuters," Gojamgunde said.

"Members of the 'Latur Express Bachao Kriti Samiti' met senior railway officials recently and conveyed the ire of commuters over extending the train till Bidar, which is already serviced by several trains, unlike Latur, which has just this train connecting it to Mumbai," Samiti member Venkat Bedre said.
Last week, the Samiti members burnt an effigy of Latur BJP MP Sunil Gaikwad, protesting his 'silence' over the issue.
The daily train connects the financial capital with Latur in Marathawada and covers the distance of 530km between them in 9 hours 30 minutes.