Mere 4 trains ply in dist, vendors stare at losses

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 3

Barring four daily passenger and goods trains, a large number of trains continue to remain off the tracks at Amritsar railway station.

Railway traffic resumed at other railway stations, but the Amritsar railway station stands apart as activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee had been blocking the Amritsar-Delhi railway track. Prolonged farmer agitation has impacted business of hawkers and vendors at the railway station.

A vendor rued that first they suffered due to the Covid-19 restrictions, which resulted in expiry of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products worth lakhs. Now, the railway authorities allowed us to open vends and shops at the platform, but there was no customer due to the blockades on track, he said.

The daily footfall at the railway station had come to negligible from around 50,000 before the lockdown. Similarly, number of trains also came down from 130 to four per day. These trains were being diverted through Tarn Taran.

Vendors said there were hundreds of hawkers who used to earn by selling snacks, water bottles, tea and newspapers but they had not shown up at the railway station.

Meanwhile, the Indian Railways continue to cancel, divert, short-originate and terminate trains. Due to ongoing blockade by farmers, railway authorities cancelled 05211 Darbhanga-Amritsar Express for tomorrow (February 4). Consequently, 05212 Amritsar- Darbhanga Express will remain cancelled on February 6.

For the ease of passengers 02715 Nanded-Amritsar Express will be short terminated at Chandigarh tomorrow (February 4). Consequently, 02716 Amritsar-Nanded Express will short-originate from Chandigarh on February 6 and will remain partially cancelled between Chandigarh -Amritsar- Chandigarh.

The 02903 Mumbai Central- Amritsar Express was diverted through Tarn Taran today, 02904 Amritsar-Mumbai Central Express will be diverted to run via Amritsar-Tarn Taran-Beas tomorrow (February 4). Both 02925 Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Express special and 02926 Amritsar- Bandra Terminus Express special will be diverted to run via Amritsar-Tarn Taran- Beas tomorrow.

The 04673 /04649 Jaynagar- Amritsar Express special JCO and 04650/04674 Amritsar- Jaynagar Express will be diverted to run via Amritsar- Tarn Taran-Beas tomorrow.

The 08309 Sambalpur- Jammu Tawi Express Special and 08310 Jammu Tawi-Sambalpur Express will be diverted to run via Pathankot Cantt-Jalandhar tomorrow.