E-Paper
Ludhiana: Punjab bandh brings railways to a halt; 174 trains cancelled
174 trains were cancelled due to the bandh from 7am to 4pm. Besides cancellation,19 trains were short terminated, 15 trains were short originated, 15 trains delayed, and 9 trains had to take long stops.
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the Ludhiana Junction station here on Monday as rail traffic came to a grinding halt due to Punjab Bandh called by farmers’ unions.
174 trains were cancelled due to the bandh from 7am to 4pm. Besides cancellation,19 trains were short terminated, 15 trains were short originated, 15 trains delayed, and 9 trains had to take long stops.
“We reached here at 6 in the morning, but I have been waiting here since then. It is cold and there aren’t proper arrangements for food here at the station,” said 62-year-old Saroj Bala, who was going back home to Jammu after a family trip to Varanasi by Begampura Express.
The Jammu-bound Begampura Express reached the station around 6 am and wasn’t allowed to move ahead until after 4 pm.
Saurabh, 42, who was travelling to Vapi in Gujarat with his eight-year-old daughter and wife had to wait for around 10-12 hours at the station.
“We came here at 10.30am. Our train was supposed to enter Punjab around 6.30 am. But it was stopped in Kathua. Now it will resume in 4 hours. It may take a good 4-5 hours to reach here. We’ll have to wait till then,” he said.
Travelling to Katihar in Bihar by Amrapali Express, Mohammad Shehanshah Azam complained of not enough benches on the station to rest and wait.
“There are just a few benches here on the platform. Those who came in early were lucky to have a seat. Others have just been throwing their sheets wherever they can find any space,” he said.
Going to Muzaffarpur by Amrapali Express, Maqbool Ansari also complained of lack of food stalls at the station.
“I have been sitting here since around 10 am and I haven’t yet found anyplace to have a meal,” he said.
The Ludhiana Junction station here has been undergoing reconstruction since last year. A total of 160 passengers had their tickets cancelled from the Ludhiana Junction station.
