Cancer survivors hail rail concession

At PGI alone,over 3,000 cancer patients come to the OPDs and day treatment alone each year and less than 10 per cent of these are from the city. Patients come from neighbouring states of Punjab,Haryana,Himachal Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh and as far as Bihar.

“There was some concession on rail travel for cancer patients earlier,but the demand to make it completely free has always been there. I am glad the railway minister did the needful,” said a cancer survivor.

“The minister could not have done better. It’s wonderful news for the patients. There was a 75 per cent concession for patients,which has now been made 100 per cent. This was required as patients from smaller towns have to travel to bigger cities for treatment and periodic check-ups. We welcome the move,” said Daman Mangat from Sahatya,an NGO working for cancer patients.

Meanwhile,Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur welcomed the rail budget and thanked Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for considering the demands of Patiala. She further said,“While presenting the railway budget in Parliament today,Banerjee announced to take up socially desirable projects,connecting the backward areas in Punjab and Haryana. With the announcement,the Railway Ministry would update the survey for the Patiala-Jakhal/Narwana via Samana,Patiala-Kurukshetra and Yamuna Nagar-Patiala rail lines and these projects would be taken up on priority through the Planning Commission.”