KOLKATA: The 28-member team of Bengal rowers who were scheduled to leave Kolkata to attend a national event at Srinagar in Kashmir from next week, were held back in the city after their train - Jammu Tawi Express - was cancelled on Saturday owing to the students' stir targeting trains and rail platforms at multiple places en route. The team is now booking flight tickets to reach Srinagar on Monday and attend the event.
At least 25 other trains to and from Howrah and Sealdah were also cancelled on Saturday causing more inconvenience to passengers for the third day in a row as sporadic protests cropped up in multiple parts of the country.
"It seems our road to the championship is paved with hindrances. First there were deaths of two of our rowers leading to suspension of rowing at Rabindra Sadan. And just as we were about to leave, our train got cancelled owing to violent protests targeting trains. I just hope we can reach for the championship in Srinagar on time," said one of the team members.
The 28 athletes from Bengal will compete against 474 athletes from 23 states and union territories in the Sub-Junior National Rowing Championship and the Inter-State Challenger National Rowing Championship which will be held simultaneously in Srinagar's Dal Lake from June 20 to 26. Bengal's team members will have their first game on June 23.
"Even before the cancellation of Saturday's train, we had started discussions about whether it was at all safe to send our athletes on railroads looking at the recent instances of violence and obstructions targeting railway properties. We have decided to send them by flight and are speaking with the clubs and participants and are trying to get tickets at a subsidised rate," said Aniruddha Mookerjee, secretary of West Bengal Rowing Association.
Team coach Vikram Sharma said as per the revised plan, the team will fly to Srinagar on June 20, complete the registration and start training from June 21 before participating in their first game of the tournament on June 23.
Meanwhile, with train services remaining disrupted in several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, on Saturday due to the ongoing protests over Agnipath scheme for recruitment in armed forces, TOI found hundreds of passengers crowding the Howrah and Sealdah platforms with some passengers claiming to have been waiting at the platforms for two days.
"We had our train scheduled on Friday that was rescheduled and then cancelled. We checked for nearby hotels but they were too pricey, so we stayed back at the platform while booking unconfirmed tickets for Saturday. But on Saturday, trains to Bihar got cancelled again. I don't know when we can return home," said Jitendra Kumar from Motihari.
(With inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh)
