BKU stir throws rail traffic out of gear

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by Mahendra Singh Tikait -- protesting against the inclusion of Hardwar in the new...

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by Mahendra Singh Tikait — protesting against the inclusion of Hardwar in the new Uttaranchal state — has thrown the railway traffic in the area out of gear for over the past 24 hours.

The schedule of all trains — including the Dehra Dun Shatabdi — running on Moradabad division has gone haywire. Trains have been cancelled or terminated at unscheduled points. Even the originating stations have been changed for several trains in view of the blockage of the single railway line by the members of the BKU.

“Trains cannot even be diverted as there is only a single line connecting Laksar-Hardwar-Dehra Dun. And since trains cannot come from that side, there is a problem in reverse traffic from here because it is usually the same rake which makes the return journey. We do not have so many additional rakes,” said a Northern Railway official, adding that the BKU agitation will have a cascading effect on running of the trains, causing delays for several days.

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All pleas of railway authorities to the state administration to remove the agitationists from the railway line apparently fell on deaf ears. Senior railway officials were in touch with the Uttar Pradesh civil administration including the police, Home Secretary and the Chief Secretary but no steps were taken till late this evening to remove the BKU members from the railway line. “We have exhausted all channels. Now we cannot do anything but wait helplessly for BKU to vacate the railway line,” an official said.

The BKU members came and blocked the railway track around 5 pm yesterday evening. “Since then they have not moved from the railway line, and there do not seem any signs of their lifting the blockade soon,” he said. The passengers in the meantime continued to suffer.

Dehra Dun Shatabdi which left New Delhi railway station this morning had to be terminated at Saharanpur. The return service too will commence from Saharanpur. The train stood cancelled between Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Doon Express also had to be terminated at Hardwar and will return from there itself. The Varanasi-Dehra Dun Express and 330 Passenger were both terminated at Laksar Junction.

The Allahabad-Dehra Dun Link Express and 355 Passenger were terminated at Najibabad and will also start from there. The Gorakhpur-Dehra Dun Express would be terminated at Moradabad and will also start from there. The train will remain cancelled between Dehra Dun and Moradabad. The Bombay-Dehra Dun Express, Ujjaini Express and Hardwar-Sri Ganganagar Inter-City would be terminated at Saharanpur.

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Trains running between Dehra Dun and Saharanpur and between Rishikesh and Hardwar were all cancelled.

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