BENGALURU: For two hours on Tuesday, passengers at the City railway station were lost as a workers’ union went on a flash strike against the arrest of a railway employee.
Ticket counters were closed and many passengers were forced to board trains without tickets, fearing questioning and harassment from inspectors. Passengers, especially women travelling with children, were anxious they would miss connecting buses and trains. Many were afraid they would find no transport home from their stations.
When passengers asked around, railway employees did not provide any explanation for the delay. The Railway Protection Force didn’t offer any help either.
The Gol Gumbaz Express, which was to leave at 6.45 pm, left only at 8 pm. “They aren’t telling us what is happening,” said Ashok , travelling to Bagalkot. G S Shankar, travelling to Vijayapura by the same train, said, “There is usually an additional delay of an hour-and a-half in Hubballi, so we don’t know when we will reach.”
Manjula M, travelling to Mysuru, was afraid she would reach at a late hour. Irfan Pasha, also on the same train, said buses to Mysuru start from the satellite bus terminus, an hour’s drive in evening traffic, and hence passengers couldn’t go there either.
Noor Niza, travelling to Ernakulam with her children, said, “No one is ready to give us any information.”
Kanyakumari Express was to leave at 8 pm, but even the lights had not been switched on although it was close to departure time, Sunita C, headed for Ottapalam said.
“Since 6 pm, all ticket counters are closed and no TT is around either. The signalling is not happening,” Binu Chandran, travelling to Kerala, said.
Meena John, travelling with children, was anxious about the hartal on Wednesday in Ernakulam. “It is from 6 am to 6 pm. We were to reach by six in the evening. Now I don’t know how I will reach home, with no rickshaws at night.”
Family Reacts
The family of arrested railway employee A R Panduranga described him as committed and responsible. “He had his day off on Saturday, but he went to the police station even though we had a puja at home. On Sunday, the police called him again and arrested him,” his wife Jayanthi said. According to Rajashekhar, secretary of the union, Panduranga suffers from hypertension, asthma and diabetes.