The Train That Shouldn’t Exist
Every night at 9:30 PM, a train quietly leaves Bathinda in Punjab. It heads to Bikaner, Rajasthan — 325 kilometers away.
This isn’t a normal journey. This train has a heartbreaking nickname: The Cancer Train.
Why? Because 7 out of every 10 passengers are cancer patients. They travel this long route not for a job or vacation — but for free treatment at a hospital in Bikaner.
Just pause and think: An entire train filled with sick people — night after night. This train shouldn’t exist. But it does.
How Did This Happen?
The roots of this tragedy go back decades, to the Green Revolution.
In the 1960s and ’70s, India was struggling with food shortages. To feed the country, we embraced high-yield seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. Crop production shot up. India became food secure.
But we paid a price we didn’t see coming.
The Hidden Cost of Growth
Farmers sprayed more and more chemicals on their crops — thinking: more chemicals = better yields. Over the years, these toxic substances seeped into the soil, groundwater, and eventually — into human bodies.
Today, in many villages across Punjab, every second or third house has someone with cancer. Some families have lost two, three, even four members.
This isn’t just a medical crisis. It’s a human tragedy, rooted in unsafe agricultural practices.
When Leaders Admit the Problem
Even national leaders have started to acknowledge this crisis. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently stated:
“The Cancer Train running between Punjab and Rajasthan is because farmers used too many fertilizers.”
When such a high-ranking political figure speaks out, it shows just how deep and undeniable this issue has become.
It’s Not Just Punjab
This isn’t limited to one state. All across India, many farmers are still using dangerous pesticides — some of which are banned in other countries.
The result?
- Soil is getting weaker
- Water is becoming unsafe
- People are falling sick
But the most shocking part is: No one is talking about it loudly enough.
What We Can Do
This is not a problem that will fix itself. But we can fix it, if we act smartly and urgently.
1. Promote Safer Farming Practices
Farmers must be taught to use eco-friendly methods. Chemical-heavy farming must be reduced.
2. Use Smart Technology like Agriculture Drones
This is where Marut Drones plays a major role. Based in Hyderabad, Marut Drones develops advanced agriculture drones that help farmers:
- Apply only the required amount of fertilizer or pesticide
- Target specific areas, minimizing chemical exposure
- Save water, reduce waste, and prevent overuse of harmful substances
Their precision spraying drones are already helping thousands of farmers across India make farming safer, smarter, and more sustainable. These drones also reduce human exposure to chemicals, lowering long-term health risks.
Learn more about how Marut Drones is changing agriculture:
🔗 https://www.marutdrones.com/solutions/agriculture
3. Ensure Clean Drinking Water
Villages in affected areas must be provided with tested, safe water supplies to prevent further contamination.
4. Help Sick Families Get Care
People who are already affected need affordable treatment and support from both state and central governments.
5. Raise Awareness & Demand Policy Change
We must speak up. Ask tough questions. Demand stricter regulations on chemical use and more support for natural, sustainable farming methods.
Why This Matters to All of Us
Maybe we don’t live in Punjab. Maybe we’re not farmers. But this problem affects all of us.
Because:
- We eat food grown in these fields
- We drink water from these rivers
- We breathe air touched by these chemicals
This is not just a Punjab issue — it’s an India issue.
The Choice Is Ours
We have two options:
- Option 1: Stay silent. Let more Cancer Trains run. Let more families be torn apart.
- Option 2: Raise our voices. Push for change. Promote safe farming. Demand accountability.
The Real Message of the Cancer Train
This train is more than just a nightly commute. It’s a warning.
It tells us something very simple:
We cannot build a future by poisoning the present.
Every night, that train carries innocent people — victims of our “development.” Their suffering is the real cost of our success.
But it doesn’t have to continue.
With modern tools like Marut Drones, with smarter policies and people who care, we can change this story.
Time to Act
The Cancer Train will keep running until we make it stop.
Not by stopping the train — but by stopping the problem that created it.
And it starts with people like us — choosing to care, choosing to act, and choosing to speak up.
🔗 Learn more about Marut Drones’ mission and solutions:
https://www.marutdrones.com
🔗 Explore agriculture drone technology:
https://www.marutdrones.com/solutions/agriculture
