As the Railway board approves running of Sealdah - New Delhi Rajdhani as a special train to clear Durga puja rush Dhanbad too gets an additional train for New Delhi as well as Kolkata ahead of Durga puja .
However , people here are eagerly waiting for the train for Patna as bus operators have doubled passenger fare for any destination of Bihar owing to Covid-19. The booking for the Sealdah Rajdhani special has commenced and it would start operation from October12 between Kolkata and New Delhi on its old time and route via Dhanbad - Gaya - Deendayal junction.This train besides clearing the puja rush of West Bengal also would help people willing to travel aforementioned two locations .
However, people of Dhanbad are waiting for the Patna and Bihar bound trains so that they can reach their native places during the upcoming festival season that starts from Durga puja and ends after the Chath festival.
" If the trains were not started people willing to move to native places would have to face problems especially around Chat that falls just six days after deepawali," said Satyendar Singh a native of Aurangabad in Bihar who works in a public sector undertaking (PSU).SK Misha resident of Darbhanga said , Railway must consider starting operation of trains giving connectivity to North Bihar towns ahead of Chat .
Meanwhile, Sushi Kumar Singh general secretary of State JD -U and former of Zonal railway Users Consultative Committee(ZRUCC) has also demanded for starting trains for Patna and North Bihar towns owing festival season.He has also written a separate letter in this regards to the Zonal headquarters.
Operation of Ganga- Damodar and Morya express trains is necessary for cleaning festival rush, said Singh.
In another move, the bus operators operating buses from Jharia and Dhanbad for different towns of the State have hiked the fare in the name of Covid.The ticket for Biharsharif that earlier cane at Rs 250 now is available at Rs 500. "The fare may be revised upward keeping in view the demand for buses for Bihar towns during festival season", said one of the operators at Bartand bus stand on condition of anonymity. Festivals would give us a chance to cover up losses we incurred during the lockdown period,he said.