XII student starts a campaign against bullet trains

Shreya Chavan, a student from Mumbai has started a petition against bullet train in India. After losing a friend in a railway accident, Chavan, a class XII girl has started this campaign.

bullet train

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (3rd from L in front) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the ground breaking ceremony in Ahmadabad Source: AAP Image/Kyodo

Shreya Chavan lost a friend in a railway accident and the pain is immense. Maitri Shah, a 17-year-old student from Mithibai College had died after falling off the train. The pain of losing a friend is the driving force behind her petition that has been filed to Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi. Chavan told Indian Express, “We decided to take up the issue then. If students are not able to travel to college by trains then what is the point of a bullet train.”

The Mumbai stampede has sparked anger against the bullet train project, which PM Modi has spoken a lot about. The petition filed by Chavan along with other students had received 4327 signatures in first 24 hours of its posting.

The petition states, “We don’t want Bullet trains, we need better Railways.”
“Statistically speaking, nine people die every day on the tracks of Mumbai. Under this scenario the funding used for the not needed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train should be invested in improving the conditions of Mumbai local trains,” reads the petition on change.org.

The petition has already been signed by more than 10,000 people.

Many prominent persons have targetted bullet train project after stampede incident. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said that he would not allow bullete train in Mumbai until local infrastructure is improved. He warned, according to a report by NDTV, "I shall not allow even a brick for the bullet train project to be laid. First resolve all the basic problems of Mumbai commuters. If (Narendra) Modi wants, let him construct it in Gujarat. If they use force, we shall also retaliate."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed condolences over the deaths caused by stampede. He tweeted, "My deepest condolences to all those who have lost their lives due to the stampede in Mumbai. Prayers with those who are injured."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

By Vivek Asri


Share this with family and friends


Download our apps
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Hindi-speaking Australians.
Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS Hindi News

SBS Hindi News

Watch it onDemand