Migrant workers who boarded a Shramik Special Train to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh from Vasai Road in Maharashtra found themselves in a spot when their train pulled in at Rourkela in Odisha on Saturday.
“The train was going to Gorakhpur and I have to get off at Kanpur. But, we don’t know how it entered Odisha. We have no idea when the train will reach its destination,” said a migrant worker aboard the train.
Railway authorities said it was a planned diversion. “The main route between Mumbai and Gorakhpur via North Central Railway is heavily congested... so we had to divert some trains,” said Sanjay Ghosh, Chief Public Relation Officer of South Eastern Railway.
“It will continue for one or two days, otherwise we will find ourselves in a difficult situation,” Mr. Ghosh said.
“There is nothing to worry. All divisional railway managers have been instructed to provide food and water to the passengers wherever Shramik Special trains stop,” he said.
“More than 3000 Shramik special trains are already on their way from different places and the number of trains running every day is more than 100. It is not that Indian Railway cannot run such large numbers of trains. Ironically, the majority of trains are towards a couple of destinations — Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” said Mr. Ghosh.
The train that was diverted to Rourkela will resume its journey through East Central Railway to reach Asansol, from where it will take the Howrah-Delhi route.
