The Hindu : Front Page : Trains stopped for five hours in Bangalore

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Monday, Jan 28, 2008
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Trains stopped for five hours in Bangalore

Staff Reporter

Thousands of passengers affected as Kannada organisations protest against South Western Railway

BANGALORE: Thousands of passengers were put to inconvenience on Sunday when Kannada organisations blocked movement of trains for over five hours at railway stations in Bangalore.

Over 6,000 protesters stormed into the Bangalore City Railway Station raising slogans against the South Western Railway for “ignoring” Kannadigas in the recent recruitment for Group ‘D’ posts. They also sought classical language tag for Kannada.

The Brindavan Express (Bangalore to Chennai) scheduled to leave at 2.30 p.m. left at 4.40 p.m. Seshadri Express (bound to Kakinada) left four hours late at 5.15 p.m. Prashanthi Express (Bangalore to Bhubaneshwar), which was to have left at 2 p.m., was also delayed for over two hours. The Bangalore-Hubli Intercity Express scheduled to leave at 1.30 p.m. left an hour and 45 minutes later.

“Since the Brindavan Express was not allowed to leave the Cantonment Railway Station, the Seshadri Express was also delayed, as they run on the same track,” a railway spokesperson told The Hindu.

Protesters also tried to stop trains at Cantonment Railway Station and K.R. Puram railway station.

Closed

The protesters sat peacefully for two hours on Platform No. 1 of Bangalore City Railway Station before a section of them forced the closure of unreserved ticketing counters.

“The counters were closed from 12.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. About 3,000 people had to rush to the Cantonment Railway Station to buy tickets,” the Railway sources said.About 40 protesters, including former MLA Vatal Nagraj, who led the protests, were taken into custody when they tried to stop Prashanthi Express. They were let off later.

The Railways had made extra security arrangements and provided catering services to the stranded passengers, the spokesperson said.

Delay in the departure of trains meant a long wait for most people. Bored and restless, they took short naps on the platform, asked the media and police personnel for information on when the train services would resume.

A section of the waiting crowd thronged the enquiry section demanding that the trains be allowed to leave. They were left disappointed when the railway officials said that they could do nothing about it as any move from their side would put the passengers at risk.

Many waiting passengers were heard complaining about how they would be late for a job interview, a close relative’s wedding or connecting trains.

Procession

Earlier, hundreds of Kannada activists, representing organisations such as Akhila Karnataka Gadi Horata Samiti, and Kannada Simha Sena went on a procession from State Bank of Mysore Circle to the railway station.

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