The network president Kishore Kumar Shaw sent a letter to Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Tuesday and sought an appointment to discuss the problem. “There are many of us who have to travel frequently in local trains for medications and diagnostics,” said Tarit Chakraborty, vice president BNP+. “Many of us are on anti-retorviral therapy and have to travel long distances. Few can afford to pay for travel.”

The minister has recently made rail travel free for cancer patients, “but there was no mention of us,” said Chakraborty. “We too need her support. There are 7,000 registered members of our network and the number of HIV-positive people in Bengal is over 20,000.” The network also sought the support of Railways for joint awareness initiatives. They proposed to set up camps near major stations which serve as transit points for migrant labourers, who are at high risk for the disease.