Railways sufferred loss of over Rs 259 crore during Agnipath protests, Centre tells Parliament
India Today
Railways suffered a loss of over Rs 259 crore during protests against the Agnipath scheme, Centre informed Parliament on Friday.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday informed the Parliament that over 2000 trains were cancelled and Railways suffered a loss of over Rs 259 crore during protests against the Agnipath scheme in June.
In a written reply, the minister said, "A loss of Rs 259.44 crore due to damage/destruction of railway assets in agitations against Agnipath scheme was incurred. All the affected train services cancelled on account of the Agnipath scheme have been restored."
Union minister Vaishnaw also said that separate data regarding amount of refund granted to passengers due to disruption of rail services on account of public disorder consequent to agitations is not maintained.
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Protests against the new military recruitment scheme had turned violent in states like Bihar, UP and Telangana as agitated youth vandalised railway properties and set trains on fire. The worst-hit East Central Railways, covering Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, had witnessed widespread protests.
Between June 14-30, a total refund of approximately Rs 102.96 crores was granted on account of cancellation of trains, the minister said.
"During the last three years (2019, 2020 and 2021) the losses incurred by the Indian Railways due to other agitations are Rs 151 crore, Rs 904 crore and Rs 62 crore respectively," he added.
