Many people stuck on Raksha Bandhan
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 21: Thousands of passengers have been stranded in Jammu, Udhampur, Katra Mata Vaishnodevi and Kathua areas of Jammu division as the Northern Railway authorities have cancelled over 44 trains since Friday evening due to protest and blockade of train track by farmers in Punjab.
Official sources told the Excelsior that a large number of farmers on Friday launched an indefinite agitation in Jallandhar area and blocked train movement on the Delhi-Ambala-Ludhiana-Amritsar and the Ambala-Ludhiana-Jammu-Udhampur-Katra railway routes. They are demanding increase in the prices of sugarcane and clear pending dues of the farmers.
As hundreds of farmers sat on dharna on Rail track at Jallandhar and Phagwara, the movement of passenger and goods trains was badly hit. The fuel supplies to J&K will also be hit due to ongoing agitation of the farmers. They said earlier, they had been sitting only at Jallandhar but now they have also appeared at two more places between Jallandhar and Ludhiana.
Not only routine passengers, thousands of people travelling on Raksha Bandhan festival have also been stuck at various places due to blockade of rail track in Punjab. The Punjab Government has badly failed to remove blockade and clear the train track from the protesters indulging in unlawful activity, harassing thousands of passengers and obstructing free movement of troops in trains towards J&K and vice versa.
A Northern Railway spokesman said that at least 44 trains have been cancelled since Friday till tonight from Jammu, Udhampur and Katra stations. There is no hope of operation of trains even tomorrow as the farmers have refused to lift dharna from the track in Jallandhar area.
He said a large number of passengers including hundreds of Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrims are stuck in Jammu and Katra. The trains have been cancelled and they are now looking for other options to reach their destinations. Huge rush of passengers has been accumulated at Jammu Railway station and the surrounding hostels, Sarais, guest houses etc are packed.
Responding to a question, the spokesman said that only a few trains left the Jammu railway station on a different route on Friday morning, while the evening and early Saturday morning rains in Delhi forced cancellation of some more trains bound for Jammu and Katra. All the trains operating on Amritsar-Jalandhar- Ludhaiana-Delhi route have also been cancelled.
“Twenty trains were cancelled today. Only Jammu-Bathinda Express will operate from Jammu Station at 9.30 pm tonight. The DMU train between Pathankote-Jammu and Udhampur is operating. Rest all other trains are suspended till Sunday morning,” the Northern Railway spokesman informed.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of trains has left thousands of passengers stranded in Jammu and they were seen making desperate attempts to get information from Railway authorities.
“We had come to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine for pilgrimage and came to know that all the trains have got cancelled due to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab,” said Pritam Singh from Sonipat, who was seen looking for a bus or taxi to leave home with his family.
Another passenger Mohit Patel from Gujarat said the farmers should have given ultimatum to the Government before launching an agitation so that people could plan their trip accordingly. He said his train was scheduled in the evening but cancellation has left him and his family members stranded.
Another passenger Babu Lal from Samastipur in Bihar said it is criminal offence to block train track or highway. The Government should be very tough against such elements. On ‘Raksha Bandhan’ festival thousands of brothers and sisters have been take for a ride by these so called farmers in Punjab who have no respect for the sentiments of the general people. The Government should hold talks and free the train track from their control, he added.
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