Mumbai to UP train reaches Odisha, Rail says ‘congestion’

■ Govt’s claims of helping migrants fall flat with delays, diversions

The Railways and the Maharashtra government’s tall claims of helping guest workers reach their native places fell flat on Saturday following reports of endless delays, cancellations and even diversions without informing passengers onboard trains. In a bizarre incident, the Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Sharmik Special train to Uttar Pradesh, which left Mumbai on May 21, reached Rourkela, in Odisha, more than 700 kms from its destination.

While some reports claimed that the train reached Odisha instead of Uttar Pradesh due to some goof up, rail officials said it was diverted due to heavy traffic congestion.

The plight of people on board the train came to light after some passengers shared videos on Twitter.

“We boarded the Shramik Special train on May 21 to go back to Gorakhpur. However, despite 23 hours of journey we are still in Maharashtra. We don’t have anything to eat and there is no water in the

train. And why the train is going towards Nagpur from Bhusawal,” a passenger tweeted on Friday.

Western Railway spokesperson Ravindra Bhakar said in a statement on Saturday, “It is to inform that Vasai RoadGorakhpur Shramik Special train which departed on May 21 was to run on Kalyan-JalgoanBhusaval-KhandwaItarsi-Jabalpur-Manikpur route but this train will go to Gorakhpur by diverted route via Bilaspur (SECR), Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Adra, Asansol (ER) due to heavy traffic

congestion on existing routes.”

Many passengers alleged on Saturday that the railways didn’t inform them about the change in the route and the duration of their travel. Many said they had run out of food and water.

In another incident, a swelling group of guest workers has been waiting outside the millennial city’s Wadala TT police station to embark on a journey back home. The Mumbai police has reportedly been informing guest workers since three days that their journey back home has been finalised. However, when they reached the station, they were told that their train has been cancelled. But as they has left their rented places and packed their belongings, they have nowhere to go except wait for transportation to take them home.

While some reports said they have been waiting for three days, others said that it’s already been a 24hour long wait.

Workers (above) line up to board a special train to return to their hometowns outside the Secunderabad railway station on Saturday. A man (right) carries a child as they wait at Palace Ground in Bengaluru on Saturday to board a special train.