Cyclone Amphan: Bengal Govt Asks Railways Not To Send Shramik Trains Till May 26

The request from the Bengal government comes a day after PM Narendra Modi visited the state to assess and review the damage caused by the cyclonic storm and later announced Rs 1000 crore package for relief work in the state.

Dark clouds hover in the sky due to weather changes ahead of landfall by cyclone Amphan. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has written to the Indian Railways urging it not to run Shramik Special trains ferrying labourers to the Eastern India state till May 26 in wake of Cyclone Amphan. In a letter penned down to the Railway Board chairman VK Yadav, the state’s Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha stated that the state has been severely impacted by Super Cyclone Amphan on May 20-21 which caused extensive damage to the infrastructure. “As several district administrations are involved with relief and rehabilitation works, it will not be possible to receive special trains for the next few days. It's requested that no train should be sent to the state till May 26," the letter dated May 22 said. The request from the Bengal government comes  a day after PM Narendra Modi visited the state to assess and review the damage caused by the cyclonic storm and later announced Rs 1000 crore package for relief work in the state. Meanwhile, the death toll due to Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal rose to 85 on Saturday. There were reports of protests in Kolkata where people blocked roads in various parts of the city over the administration's failure to restore normalcy even after three days.