On Wednesday 19th June 2013, Shri Narendra Modi wrote a letter to the Union Railway Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge. In the letter Shri Modi requested the Union Railway Minister to take some urgent steps from the side of the Railways to help in increasing the pace and extend of relief work in the wake of the Uttarakhand floods. He wrote that there are many people from Gujarat who have been left stranded in the wake of the floods and that once they are rescued and made to reach to Haridwar or Dehradun, they would need support from the Railways to head back home.
Shri Modi suggested the starting of emergency counters and helplines at Haridwar, Dehradun, New Delhi and Old Delhi Railway stations for those people who have been rescued and are seeking to return to their respective homes. He also asked the Railway Minister to direct the direct the Railways to provide additional coaches in the trains or introduce special trains so that the people can head back to their homes. Considering that many people would not be left with any money, he also asked if berths and food could be provided free of cost to those who have been rescued.
