Title - Guwahati station turns into passengers' temporary hub

GUWAHATI: The Guwahati railway station is teeming with people since last Friday with several trains getting either canceled or rescheduled owing to rail rook agitations and bandhs by Bodos and Koch-Rajbongshis for separate states.

Platforms and waiting rooms are chock-a-block with passengers who are waiting for hours to board their respective trains. According to NF Railway authorities, at least 10 short-distance trains were cancelled on Monday and long-distance trains were running late.

Train services in the state have been crippled after massive protests started in lower Assam districts under BTC and Karbi hills by ethnic groups for separate states on the lines of Telangana. "I have to attend an important meeting in Delhi on Tuesday and my train is running 8 hours late. I will never reach there on time. Why do common people have to suffer every time?" said Joydeep Devnath, a corporate employee.

For some, the situation has gone worse. "We needed to go to Kolkata for medical purpose. My brother is serious and every second is important. These bandhs are making our lives miserable," cried Bikash Sarma, a businessman.

However, NF Railway has made arrangements of first aid at the station campus for ailing passengers. "There is a standby medical unit on for any kind of emergency here. Moreover, if a train is running late for more than three hours, and any of its passengers wants to cancel his or her ticket, then we are arranging compensation for them too," said NF railway PRO N Bhattacharjee.

Major trains such as Lokmanya Tilak from Mumbai to Guwahati and down Bangalore Express have been re-routed through the Goalpara track instead of Rangiya due to a rail blockade at Bijni in lower Assam's Chirang district till noon, said Bhattacharjee.

Even the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express is running at least 10 hours late.