M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 19: The Daltonganj railway station under orders from the East Central railway of the Dhanbad division on Saturday canceled reservations of around 83 passenger’s reservations with a full refund due to the ongoing protest against the Agneepath Scheme launched by the Central government.
As per officials, the railways have had to refund a total of Rs 25, 470 in all. Passengers have been queuing up for cancellation with a full refund, which may continue for a few more days. The railway official has further said that the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) has and will be working on cancellation with a full refund.
Meanwhile, passengers have been worrying about if and when they will be able to resume travel. Reservation for then is also a concern for the passengers.
Several sources have claimed that there are around 49 active cancer patients in Palamu that need to visit Mumbai for treatment at regular intervals. However, Saturday no such passenger visited the station for ticket cancellation, said a railway official at the booking counter.
The cancellation of the trains and tickets has also affected the poor coolies at the Daltonganj railway station. There are around more than one dozen coolies here that have nowhere to go and no work to do.
Similarly nearly half a dozen road side hotels have also subsequently reduced the amounts of meals cooked regularly by 80 percent as passengers are not around.
People have been comparing the present desolatory looks of the railway station here with the gloomy days of the pandemic when stations would remain bleak and glum.
Station superintendent of Daltonganj railway station Anil Kumar Tiwary said, “Our platforms look deserted as there is no passenger right now following cancellation of the trains.”
A good number of passengers had come to board the Palamu express train for Patna last night who had to return disappointed. Many passengers were here to go to Jalandhar, Delhi, Kolkata, Aligarh, Kanpur, Paryagraj, etc who returned.
Station superintendent Tiwary said, “We have been asking the inquiry desk to keep announcing about the cancellation of trains so that passengers do not have to wander for the exact information but these outsourcing agencies have their own way.”
Sources have complained the outsourcing agencies have been handling the inquiry desk and its functioning leaves much to be desired.
