WORLD : Gorbachev Asks Takeover of Rails

MOSCOW — Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev urged lawmakers today to grant the military extraordinary powers to take over all railways in the embattled Transcaucasian region of the southern Soviet Union to prevent anarchy.

“These are the measures we have to take,” Gorabachev said. “They are meant to defend democracy against anarchy and complete economic mismanagement.”

Officials said military planes were airlifting food into the besieged Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, cut off by an Azerbaijani rail and road blockade.

First Deputy Premier Lev Voronin proposed the military takeover of the Transcaucasian railroads in a speech to the Soviet Parliament. Gorbachev quickly endorsed the measure and a vote was scheduled for Tuesday.