Tatanagar railway administration has taken several initiatives to cope with the rush of passengers going to various destinations for Chhath festival. With Chhath round the corner all Bihar-bound passenger trains either originating or passing through Tatanagar and long distance buses are witnessing a huge rush.
For the convenience of passengers, an additional ticket counter has been opened at Tatanagar and several other railway stations under Chakradharpur division that will be operational till Chhath.
The reservation list for several long-distance passenger trains heading to Bihar and other destinations has crossed the 100 mark.
Officials at ticket reservation centre at Tatanagar said that the additional coaches have been attached to the Tata-Chapra link Express and Durg-Danapur South Bihar Express.
Tatanagar station manager Awtar Singh said that they are taking extra care this time to provide relief to the commuters travelling in general coaches as they are the ones who have to bear the brunt of the
menace created by some anti-social elements.
“Chhath is a special festival for the people of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Every year people in large number visit their native places. We will make sure that we provide a comfortable journey to the commuters. We will also ensure that the commuters do not face any problem due to unwarranted behaviour of any anti-social elements,” noted the station manager.
No reservation is available in three trains-- Tata-Danapur Superfast Express, Tata-Chapra link Express and Durg-Danapur South Bihar Express in the four days, as it has reached the “no room” status. Reservation is also not available in Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express and Jallianwalla Bagh Express that passes through Gaya and other destinations in Bihar.
Besides, Tata -Chapra link Express, Tata-Danapur Superfast Express and Durg-Danapur South Bihar Express that have reported cent per cent occupancy for Chhath, passengers have been seeking reservation in other trains passing through important junctions in Bihar.
Another official said that the facility of additional coaches would be provided till the rush reduces.
Sources informed that in order to handle the rush of passengers during the festival season, the railway authorities have started monitoring the waiting list of commuters on a daily basis so that they could add extra coaches to the trains according to need.
U K Srivastava, a senior functionary, Chotanagpur Passengers Association said that thousands of people from the steel city and other places visit Bihar during this time to celebrate Chhath with their families there, and as a result, getting reservations become difficult.