It was neither any festival nor any political rally on Sunday at Hazaribagh but after 10 am traffic on the road towards railway station started increasing and after 12 noon it appeared as the people from entire area are thronged here only. More than 25,000 denizens of Hazaribagh gathered at the railway station to be a part of the ever memorable moment of Hazaribagh’s history.
It has been a dream of the residents since independence to see their town linked with railway. This Sunday, the decade-old dream was going to be true as the trial rail engine was coming to their town. Everyone was in a hurry to be a part and to see the moment.
The trial railway engine which started from Koderma Railway Station at 12 noon reached at the outer of Hazaribagh railway Station at 2 pm and from here it took more than one hour to reach in front of the main gate of Hazaribagh Station because everyone was eager to get on the engine or to touch the first railway engine which came to their town.
The newly built Hazaribagh Railway Station was packed with people from both towns besides adjoining villages, platforms were full, no space on the over-bridge, its stairs. Everyone was trying to have a close look of this memorable moment. Political parties and their volunteers were also there with their party flags, banners etc. On the left side of the entrance gate the Congress party has made its dais while on the right side BJP’s MP Yashwant Sinha was sitting with Ex-MPs Yadunath Pandey, Mahavir lal Vishwakarma and other partymen and the volunteers were dancing on the patriotic songs.
Ex-MP CPI’s Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Mehta was also present there with his supporters and party flag. leaders of RJD and JMM were also there with their flags. Environment turned emotional with people started showering flowers and even coins on the railway engine while the youths actually enveloped the train engine.
Finally Yashwant Sinha came down of the platform and reached to the middle line where the engine was staying. He along with his wife Neelima Sinha and son Jayant Sinha welcomed the engine driver and other staffs at Hazaribagh, had some snaps and then the engine started its back journey at about 3:45 pm.