MP claims he got EMRs at station, RTI reply says otherwise

The letter that Shinde sent to top Railway officials (left); the RTI reply received by activist Samir Zaveri

A claim made by local MP Shrikant Shinde has completely fallen flat due to an RTI reply sought by a social activist. Recently, after Shinde put up posters claiming that it was he who pushed the Central Railway authorities to set up emergency medical rooms (EMRs) at Ambernath station, activist Samir Zaveri raised an RTI query to know whether it was true. Unfortunately, the reply is contrary to what Shinde claimed, but he believes that the Railways might have forgotten about it.

Shinde had put up posters bearing his photos at several places across the city mentioning that it was due to his initiative and efforts the Railways started work on setting up the EMRs. He even showed the copy of a letter (in mid-day's possession) that he had sent to top Railway officials on August 10, 2018. However, the RTI reply says that the MP played no role in the process and all of it was done based on the order issued by the Bombay High Court in 2015, following a petition filed by Zaveri in the case in 2008.

Speaking to mid-day, Zaveri said, "After I filed an RTI asking whether the Railways set up the medical rooms on the MP's request, it replied saying no such request was received by the authorities."

However, Shinde said, "I have proof that I requested the Railways to set up the medical rooms. Don't know why the authorities are giving such a reply because it's not correct. They must have forgotten about it." The Railway chief public relations officer was unavailable for comments.

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