PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Sept 23: Train services of South Eastern Railway have been severely affected for the fourth consecutive day today due to agitation by the Kurmi community for ST status at Kustaur and Nimdih railway stations of Adra Division, Khemasuli and Bhanjpur stations of Kharagpur division and Aunlajori station of Chakradharpur division.
As many as 20 mail/express and passenger trains were cancelled today. Apart from this, over 30 trains have been short terminated/short originated, 25 trains have been diverted and half a dozen trains were rescheduled.
According to a circular issued by South Eastern Railway, the services of 12860 Howrah- Mumbai Gitanjali Express have been restored from today.
Today’s list of cancelled trains included Tatanagar-Howrah-Steel Superfast Express, Howrah-Barbil-Howrah Janshatabdi Express, Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabhanji Ispat Express, Asansol-Tatanagar-Express, Tatanagar-Danapur Express, Tatanagar – Kharagpur Passenger, Tatanagar- Asansol MEMU Passenger and Asansol- Bokaro Steel City Special, Chakradharpur – Gomoh Express, Hatia- Kharagpur Express, Dhanbad – Tatanagar Express and Ranchi- Kharagpur Express.
Senior officers of South Eastern Railway were at the dharna site to monitor the situation. Adequate railway forces -RPF and GRP – have been deployed in all the agitation sites to prevent any untoward incident.
The agitation by the Kurmi community also took a toll on traffic movement on National Highways connecting Kolkata and Jamshedpur.
