NCP leader Nawab Malik shares old video of a run-down railway bridge (that Railways had already repaired)

The incessant Monsoon rains in Maharashtra and specifically in Mumbai, have rendered many infrastructural facilities to be weakened. However, the Maharashtra government has taken all necessary measures to undertake repair work immediately, a large part of which is already in progress and has also been completed. This did not prevent the opposition leaders from indulging in petty politics.

Recently, Nawab Malik insinuated that the Central Railway is not maintaining the railway infrastructure in Maharashtra. Nawab Malik had shared video on Twitter and said, “The bridge near Belapur station is in a dangerous condition”.

The tweet by Malik, which was put out on 7^th September, contained a video of a train crossing an approach formation bridge, and the soil, being lose due to incessant rains, could be seen slipping. He had also tagged Piyush Goyal, his office account and the Indian Railways. What Nawab Malik did not mention was the fact that this incident, and the subsequent video footage was of 4^th September. What is noteworthy, is that Malik thought it fit to not tag the Central Railway, which is the division which administrates the Railway operations in Maharashtra.

However, the Central Railway was fast enough to bust the lies of Nawab Malik. The Railways had attended to the problem on the very same day and repaired the spot by placing additional support systems.

In a reply, the Central Railway stated:

Ever since Piyush Goyal has taken over as the Railway Minister, the Railways and its administration has been reinvigorated with a renewed sense of commitment to ensure that passengers have a comfortable and safe journey. The Railways has set up various redressal mechanisms, due to which passengers can directly tweet their grievances and the Railways then takes immediate action.

The Railways, which until recent years was considered one of the most lethargic components of the Indian system is now considered one of the most user friendly, all thanks to Piyush Goyal and his dynamic role as a minister for the same. He has ushered in a new era for the Railways, where issues are solved before anyone even informing or putting forward a complaint with the authorities.

It is expected from political parties and their leaders, and also from the public at large to have a humanitarian approach with the concerned authorities when incessant rains and other calamities strike. They must be given time to act on the problems, rather than insinuating that the problems are due to a lack of administrative capability.