Palghar fishing community, which has been sending fish to north India for over 50 years, says suppliers are being harassed by new-age parcel operators
Fish suppliers have written to railway minister against the discrimination. Representation pic
Fisherfolk in the city who use trains to transport their stock have complained that they are being thrown out of their age-old regular connecting trains by parcel operators who have taken over all luggage compartments.
“Fishermen who are in the business of supplying seafood to northern states of India have started facing the heat of privatisation of parcel coaches by Indian railways as they have begun offloading seafood parcels from Uttar Pradesh-bound train number 19019 at Palghar station. Private operators to whom the railways has leased these parcel coaches are running their own fiefdom, taking the fishing community by surprise,” said Devendra Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Macchimar Kruti Samiti.