Passengers left in the lurch

Vizianagaram: The passengers, who travel between Durg in Chhattishgarh and Vizag via some major stations in Odisha, were left in the lurch as railways cancelled the passenger train.

The train has been in the service of commuters for the past few decades and links the three states Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh; and covers 62 major stations like Bhilar, Raipore, Titlagarh and Kantabanji in its 560 km journey.

The unreserved general fare is Rs 100 and the passenger can get a sleeper ticket at Rs 215 only. The poor, daily wage workers, students and employees have been depending up on the train for the past few decades as they are being charged very less. A five-member family can reach Durg from Vizag by paying only Rs 1,075 at the same time they need to pay more than Rs 2,000 if they travel by express. But the railway authorities cancelled the train in July and till date it’s not restored.

This decision has affected thousands of regular passengers, who travel between Rayagada (Odisha) and Vizag, with lesser price. Heavy rains damaged the major bridge between Terubali and Rayagada. Since then, the railway officials started reconstruction of that bridge to streamline the railway traffic in this route. But the project is very big and it’s not yet completed but some express trains like LTT Express (Vizag-Manmad), Samatha Express (Vizag-New Delhi) are plying in the same route.

The small traders from Odisha visit Parvathipuram, Vizianagaram and purchase groceries, garments at a cheaper price than their native towns and transport there to sell. Even the traders at Parvathipuram also visit Odisha villages and small towns and purchase forest produce like soap nuts, seekakai, tea dust, flours, biscuits, confectionaries as the taxes are much lesser there than the state.

Students, employees from Bobbili and Parvathipuram also travel by this train to reach their colleges and offices on time by using monthly season tickets.

But the cancellation of this passenger has affected all these people and they are forced to travel by bus by paying more for tickets.

K Ramana, a student of Bobbili, who comes regularly to Vizianagaram to attend his college, said: “Cancellation of the train has affected my regular schedule. I have been travelling by this train for the past two years to attend the college. But now, I am forced to travel by bus which is expensive, but I don’t have any other option”.

A senior railway officer stated that unless they complete the bridge, which was damaged long ago, they cannot run passenger trains in this route. He said they received instructions from the higher officials to cancel the passenger train till March 31. If the construction of the bridge is completed, the passenger train would be come on to the tracks. Otherwise, the passengers have to wait for some more days, he said.

Koppara Gandhi