Alleging that Maharashtra has not received its fair share of benefits despite contributing 22% of the equity in the Konkan Railway project, the Konkan Railway Passenger Service Committee, a passenger rights’ body, has announced a token hunger strike at the Konkan Railway headquarters in Belapur on August 15.

“Although Maharashtra is the largest stakeholder in the project, it has only three dedicated train services — the Diva–Sawantwadi Passenger, Diva–Ratnagiri Passenger and Tutari Express. It also highlighted the recurring difficulty faced by Konkan-bound passengers in securing confirmed tickets during the Ganesh festival, when lakhs travel from Mumbai to their native places,” committee secretary Yeshwant Jadyar said.