New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS): The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Centre for increasing fares in special festive trains and demanded their immediate roll back.

"We demand that the government should roll back the increased fares immediately and subsidise them further so that rail travel becomes accessible to the common man during the festive season without putting pressure on their pockets," Congress leader Gourav Vallabh said while addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

Congress said that the railways is called the backbone of the Indian travel landscape for a reason. It is because it has the potential to help the common man travel without burdening his pockets.

Vallabh said, "With millions of people having lost their jobs in the last few months, the government instead of providing festival stimulus has decided to further pull the common man down."

On top of that, the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the earnings of many people. They are now looking forward to the festivals as the only source of joy.

"But the government seems to be ignorant of its role of supporting the people in enjoying the festivities. Instead, the fares in the festival special trains are 25-30 per cent higher on an average," Vallabh said.

The government recently approved 392 trains to cater to the festival rush. These trains will be operating from October 20 till November 30 for festivals such as Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhatt Puja.