Ajay Raina
JAMMU, Feb 20: The inter-State trains and buses plying from Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi base camp of Katra remained suspended for the second consecutive day today as Haryana remained on the boil due to Jat stir for reservation quota.
Around 30,000 passengers were left stranded here as several trains passing through Haryana were cancelled due to the pro-quota agitation by Jat protesters.
Official sources told the EXCELSIOR that several trains to and from Jammu have been cancelled due to the protests by the Jat community seeking reservation under OBC category in Haryana, causing inconvenience to passengers, especially to those who had come on pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine.
“Around 30,000 passengers have been affected due to the cancellation of over 15 trains from Jammu. All the trains, which go via Delhi and pass through Haryana, have been cancelled”, sources added.
The trains, which pass through Saharanpur route (Jammu-Ludhiana-Ambala-Saharanpur-Ghaziabad-Delhi), are plying without any disturbance.
“The trains including Rajdhani, Pooja, Sampark Kranti, Dhurnto, Jhelum, Andoman, Shiv Shakti, Malwa, Sawraj, Tata Muri and Bhatinda have been cancelled due to protest by jats in Haryana”, sources said, adding that trains plying through Saharanpur route including Sealdah, Hemkund, Shalimar and Himgiri, were running without disturbance.
Talking to EXCELSIOR, Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Northern Railway, Sudhir Kumar said that around 15 trains have been cancelled.
When asked about the refund of the fares, the DTM informed that the fares charged from the passengers, will be refunded to them, adding that the normal movement of trains will only be restored after normalcy returns in Haryana.
For Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) services from Pathankot to Katra, Sudhir Kumar said that this service was suspended three days back, as the work for doubling the track on 15 kilometer Samba-Basantar stretch was started. The work has been completed today and the DMU services will be restored from tomorrow, he asserted.
However, buses from J&K to Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and other States were also suspended in view of law and order situation in Haryana.
“We had sent the buses yesterday evening from Jammu to Delhi, but they could not reach the destination owing to the ongoing protest in Haryana”, said Sudershan Sharma, Chairman, All India Sleeper Coaches Owners Association. He added that many buses, which got stranded in different protesting places, have been damaged by the demonstrators.
After witnessing the situation, the buses will be allowed to proceed late night, he said. Sharma appealed to the Haryana Government to solve the issue at the earliest, as the bus operators in Jammu are facing huge loss.
Meanwhile, due to suspension of the train and bus services, the stranded passengers at Jammu Railway Station and Jammu Bus Stand are facing various hardships in absence of facilities by the Government.
“The Government should provide some facilities to the stranded passengers of trains and buses, as they will be running out of money if the agitation gets prolonged”, said a stranded passenger while talking to Excelsior at Jammu Bus Stand.
The people, who had come for the pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, were also stranded at Katra Railway Station and facing hardships.
Some of the passengers alleged that the hoteliers started charging heavy amount for the accommodation due to suspension of trains and buses from Katra to other parts of the country.
“We were told that our train has been cancelled due to the Jats stir in Haryana and now we are stranded at Jammu Railway Station waiting for the rail traffic to start again”, said a passenger.
A group of people, who visited the Jammu and Kashmir for excursion from Punjab, said that they cannot even take a bus to their native area as the agitating jats have blocked the highway at several places in Haryana.
A tourist from Germany, Mickal David said “I had to reach Delhi today morning as my flight for my hometown was scheduled today. I called up the Airport Authorities in Delhi and got canceled my ticket as I could not reach there for further journey to my home”.
About accommodation, he said “I am staying in a hotel near Jammu Railway Station after arriving from Srinagar. I had to stay there till the train services get resumed. It will affect my pocket badly”.
A private taxi driver Pritam Sharma said that due to non-arrival of tourists and passengers here, our taxis got stranded. He hoped that the protest in Haryana will not get prolonged as it can affect their business adversely.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel