Considering Ganjam people’s demand, the East Coast Railway has consented to run the first Palasa-Khurdha DMU in its old time schedule.After the ECoR’s decision, agitating women of Ganjam town and nearby villages called off their strike.
Notably, the ECoR had recently changed its old time schedule and decided that the DMU would leave Palasa at 3 o’clock in the dark hours. Commuters, who board the DMU at Chhatrapur and Ganjam stations opposed it as the changed timing was not beneficial to them.
Similarly, the ECoR agreed to make a stoppage for Brahmpur-Cuttack DMU at Ganjam, which is an industrial town and place of tourist importance having the headquarters of 7th Battalion Police. Though this DMU was stopping at small stations like Kuhudi, train commuters of Ganjam had been demanding for a stoppage at Ganjam since long. When compared with Kuhudi, more people from Ganjam are boarding this train.
With the above demands, a large number of women of Ganjam Town and nearby villages led by BJP uouth leaders Manu Mahapatra, Kantari Dalai and Ranjit Behera had resorted to peaceful demonstration on Monday. They called off the agitation on Tuesday following an written assurance given by the ECoR authorities.
According to information, all the trains of either side of the Ganjam railway station were detained midway for four hours in apprehension of public anger during the demonstration.
The issues were settled between the agitators and the ECoR authorities only after intervention of Chhatrapur Sub-Collector Sudhakar Sabar and SDPO Patitapaban Choudhury.