COVID-19: Don’t Run Passenger Trains So Soon, KCR Urges PM Modi

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to allow the resumption of passenger trains so soon so as to effectively contain the Coronavirus pandemic. Speaking during the video conference that the prime minister held with chief ministers of states, he said that the movement of people through trains would make the task of monitoring the coronavirus situation difficult as this would spread the infectious virus.

He added that since conducting tests on all those travelling through trains or keeping them in quarantine is not possible, trains should not be operated at this stage.

He told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it is likely that the chances of first vaccine for COVID-19 could be developed in Hyderabad and would likely be available in July-August.

"Companies in Hyderabad are also working hard. There are chances of first vaccine being developed in Hyderabad. It is likely to be available in July-August. The situation will change with the availability of the vaccine," KCR said, a news agency reported.

Telangana CM KCR also said that people have to learn to live with coronavirus. "First of all we have to remove fear from them and make them learn to live with coronavirus," he said.

On the issue of migrant workers, KCR lauded the Centre's "Shramik Trains" decision and said that all states must show empathy. He said Telangana was sending migrant workers to their home states and pointed out that workers from Bihar were returning to Telangana to work in rice mills.

Reiterating his perspective on the issue of loans, he made a strong pitch with the Centre that the states’ loans be rescheduled. He said this should be done on similar lines of farm loans rescheduling. KCR also requested the prime minister to relax the regulations envisaged under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) keeping in view the critical times that the states are going through amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

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