People stranded in Jammu as Jat stir affects rail movement

JAMMU: A large number of passengers were left stranded here as several trains passing through Haryana were cancelled due to the pro-quota agitation by Jat protesters.

Several trains from Jammu were cancelled due to the protest by the community seeking reservation under OBC category in Haryana, causing inconvenience to passengers, specially those who had come on pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine.

"We were told that our train was cancelled due to the agitation of Jats in Haryana and now we have been left stranded at Jammu railway station waiting for the rail traffic to start again," Sheetal Kumari, a pilgrim from New Delhi, said.

The passenger said that she cannot even take a bus to Delhi as the agitating Jats have blocked the highway at several places.

A railway official said that around 25,000 to 30,000 passengers have been affected due to the cancellation of 15-20 trains from Jammu.

"Around 25,000 to 30,000 passengers have been affected due to the cancellation of 15-20 trains from Jammu. All the trains, which go via Delhi and pass through Haryana, have been cancelled," Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Northern Railway Sudhir Kumar Singh said.

The trains, which pass through Saharanpur route, are plying without any disturbance. The normal movement of trains will only be restored after normalcy returns in Haryana, he said.

The stranded passengers are facing various hardships in absence of facilities by the government.

"We will be running out of our money if the agitation gets prolonged. The government of Jammu and Kashmir should provide some facilities to the stranded passengers," another Delhi-bound passenger, Ashish Kumar, said.