The train services in South Eastern Railway (SER) have been severely disrupted for the third day in a row, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and causing chaos during peak hours. The situation has caused immense inconvenience to the public, leading to frustration and anger among commuters who rely on trains for their daily commute.
Agitation by various Kurmi outfits at Kustaur station in the Adra-Chandil section of Adra Division and Khemasuli station in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of Kharagpur Division led to the situation.
The reasons for the agitations are not related to railways. The Kurmi outfit members were demanding ST status and inclusion of the Kurmi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The disruptions began three days ago when activists of the Kurmi community squatted on the tracks. Despite efforts by the authorities to rectify the issue, the problem has persisted, leading to widespread disruption of the train services.
Commuters have been left stranded at stations, with no information on when the trains would resume operations. Many have been forced to look for alternative modes of transportation, resulting in overcrowded buses and long queues for taxis, adding to the chaos.
The situation has also impacted businesses and productivity, with employees struggling to reach their workplaces on time. Several companies have reported significant delays and loss of productivity due to the ongoing train service disruptions.
In addition to the inconvenience faced by the public, there are concerns about safety and security. With overcrowded buses and stations, there have been reports of pickpocketing and other criminal activities, adding to the woes of the commuters.
Authorities have been working round the clock to rectify the issue, but the prolonged disruption of train services has raised questions about the reliability and resilience of the city's transportation infrastructure. Commuters are demanding swift action and a long-term solution to prevent such disruptions from occurring in the future.
Trains Cancelled today: 12820 Anand Vihar- Bhubaneswar Express, 12828 Purulia-Howrah Express, 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur Express, 18013 Howrah-Bokaro Steel City Express, 08695 Bokaro Steel City-Ranchi Passenger Special, 18085 Kharagpur-Ranchi MEMU Express, 18116 Chakradharpur-Gomoh MEMU Express, 13301 Dhanbad-Tatanagar Express, 13512 Asansol-Tatanagar Express, 18183 Tatanagar-Danapur Express, 12883 Santragachi-Purulia Express, 18036 Hatia-Kharagpur Express.
Cancellation of Trains on April 8
Jamshedpur: The following trains will remained cancelled on April 8: 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur Express, 18013 Howrah-Bokaro Steel City Express, 08696 Ranchi-Bokaro Steel City Passenger Special and 12021 Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express. The 12129 Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express, was running on a diverted route instead of cancellation. Apart from this, several other mail and express trains were running on a diverted route.