By Salman Sultan, TwoCircles.net Special Correspondent,
Yes, he played a crucial role as member of Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), NER in bringing Azamgarh into the national network of railways. He had plan to work for linking his backward district and the region to all main rail rout but when the new railways minister Ms Mamata Banerjee took charge, all such committees were abolished. The man, an unsugn hero, is Shah Alam Qureshi.
Mr. Qureshi has been actively involved with Ms Shabana Azmi, former Rajya Sabha Member in improving the rail link in this backward North Eastern region of Uttar Pradesh. ZRUCC area of influence extends from Chapra to Mathura and to Allahabad inclusive of a Hill Station Kathgodam.
Mr. Qureshi initially pursued for starting train to Mumbai through Azamgarh and Azamgarh-Delhi train via Aligarh. Both trains were successfully launched. Later his efforts bore fruit when weekly train for Surat through Azamgarh was started.
Recently on the initiation of Ms Shabana Azmi, Mr. Qureshi put forth in writing three demands to Ms Banerjee, Railway Minister:
1. Azamgarh-Howrah train which was announced in the Railway Budget of 2007 by the then minister Mr. Lalu Prasad.
2. Mau-Azamgarh-Sikandrabad-Bangalore-Trivandrum train so that this region gets connected to South India
3. Ballia-Shahganj mid-day Passenger
These demands were not heeded but Mr. Qureshi is hopeful that when Ms. Banerjee will know more about this region, from where most of the people go out in different parts of our country for their living, then she will accede to our just demands.
As per Mr. Qureshi 1200 general tickets are sold daily for Kaifiyat Express (Azamgarh – Delhi) and 500 tickets for sleeper class. Similarly, 500 general tickets and 300 sleeper class tickets are sold daily for Godan Express (Gorakhpur-Azamgarh-Mumbai).
Mr. Qureshi is striving to get following trains through Azamgarh:
1. Train for South India
2. Train for Howrah
3. Train for Goa (Weekly; more than hundred thousand people from Azamgarh work in Goa)
4. Train for Assam upto Dibrugarh
5. Train for Jammu