LUCKNOW: Intensifying their protest against the hike in rail fare, Congress and Samajwadi Party workers today stopped several trains across Uttar Pradesh and submitted memorandums demanding immediate rollback of the increase.
Congress workers staged demonstrations at railway stations in several districts and submitted memorandums for Union Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda demanding roll back of the hike, a Congress spokesman said here.
In Sant Kabir Nagar district, Congress workers lodged their protest by stopping the Bagh Express and submitting a memorandum to the station superintendent, he said.
In the Basti district, the party workers stopped the Janayak Express and demanded immediate roll back of the hike in rail fare and freight rates.
In Moradabad, when the Congress workers went to submit the memorandum, the station superintendent left his office, after which they stopped a Rajdhani Express, he said.
The spokesman said Congress workers also submitted memorandums in Ghaziabad, Meerut, Varanasi and other districts.
In Lucknow, the party workers submitted the memorandum with the senior station superintendent at the Charbagh railway station.
In Chandauli district, SP workers stopped a train at Mughalsarai railway station. A large number of party workers thronged the station and blocked tracks and stopped the Guwahati-bound North-East Express.
They were later removed from the tracks after which the train departed.
The parties had held protests yesterday also. Their activists had blocked railway tracks and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda.
The Centre on Friday effected a steep across-the-board hike of 14.2 per cent in passenger fares in all classes and a 6.5 per cent increase in freight rates.