Regular travellers and short-distance commuters from Mysuru are a relieved lot as the railway authorities have announced the restoration of train services that existed before the onset of the pandemic.
Train services were suspended from March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic and there was a phased re-introduction of only a few services from May/June. But these trains were introduced as ‘special’ with different numbers and had a higher fare.
In all 52 pairs of trains used to originate from Mysuru railway station alone of which the authorities have re-introduced 42 in a phase-wise manner. But a majority of these trains are long-distance express services while a few short-distance intra-city train services had been disbanded. This included services between Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, Arsikere and Bengaluru all of which are expected to be restored in due course.
Rail activist Krishnaprasad said that short-distance travellers will stand to benefit. The worst affected was the services to Chamarajanagar which used to be patronised by hundreds of daily wagers working in the construction sector.
Meanwhile, rail passengers and activists in the region have sought clarity on extension of concessions under various categories consequent to the railways planning to restore services to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Sources in the railways said they are awaiting directions on the re-introduction of the concessions.
There were nearly 50 categories to whom railways offered concessional fare and this included senior citizens, visually challenged persons, physically challenged, hearing impaired, cancer patients travelling for treatment or check-up, Shram awardees, national awardee teachers, war widows, teachers going on an educational tour, and delegates of all-India bodies attending conferences.
Mr. Krishnaprasad, said senior citizens are among the largest class who use the concession and hence the Railway Ministry should restore it at the earliest.
“There is no mention of the restoration of the concessions in the latest directive issued by the railways which only states that the services will revert to the pre-COVID-19 levels’’, said Yogendra, who is among the activists seeking new train services and better amenities to the passengers.
He said they also had a set of demands to be submitted to the Mysuru MP Pratap Simha for discussion in the Divisional-Level Rail Users Consultative Committee meeting, which, however, was postponed.
However, sources in the railways said the concessions for different categories that existed in the pre-COVID scenario have to be reflected in the system. “Though the concessions have not been specifically mentioned, the directive states that the fares will revert to pre-COVID-19 levels and hence the understanding is that even the concessions will be restored’’, said the official.
