As Chhath Puja nears, heavy rush at Ambala railway station

A heavy rush of passengers to board Bihar-bound trains is being witnessed at the Ambala Cantonment railway station in view of the upcoming Chhath Puja.

Chaotic scenes can be seen outside the second class and sleeper coaches of trains as everyone wants to get inside. Some passengers fail to enter the coach through the gates and even through the window or with the help of railway porters. Passengers don’t even shy away from travelling in toilets of trains in a bid to go back to their native places before the festival.

Radhey Shyam, a migrant labourer, said, “I am going back to Chhapra. The general coaches are always full and overcrowded, but we don’t have any other option. It gets difficult to travel with small children. There were announcements regarding special trains here, but we already have a confirmed ticket of another train. At present, due to heavy rush and heavy luggage, entering the train is the biggest task.”

Chandra Mishra, a resident of Bihar, said, “I had a confirmed ticket of sleeper class in Katihar Express, but due to overcrowding, I failed to board the train with my family. Now, the train has left and I am stuck here with my ailing father and other family members. The Railways needs to ensure that passengers having confirmed ticket get seats in trains. Otherwise, there is no point in getting seats reserved in advance.”

Harish Kumar, SHO of GRP Ambala Cantonment, said, “There is a huge rush due to Chhath Puja. Nearly 25 GRP and RPF officials have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident. Passengers are also being informed about the special trains being operated and not to panic if they miss their train. They can board other trains. People travelling with heavy luggage block the gate with their luggage. They should avoid travelling with heavy luggage.”

A railway official said that due to the heavy rush, Railways is operating special trains. The division has already operated 17 special trains and 27 more pre-decided trains will be operated for Chhath Puja. Besides these, more trains are also being operated on short notice.

Meanwhile, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Ambala Division Vinod Bhatia said, “The Railways is operating special trains, apart from the other trains being operated as per the normal time table. There is a plan to continue to run the special trains for the convenience of passengers. A special train from Sirhind to Saharsa was operated today and a special train was operated from Chandigarh to Katihar yesterday. More trains are being planned from Chandigarh for Katihar and Lucknow over the next two days.”

“Regular announcements are being made to provide information about the trains. Along with the special trains originating from Ambala division, some trains from other divisions like the Firozpur division are also reaching here at different timings for the convenience of the passengers. People are requested not to panic as adequate trains are being operated,” he added.

Special AC buses being run

Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij said that following a request from the Bihar Government, special AC buses are being operated from Haryana to Bihar.