Kolkata: General Manager of Eastern Railways (ER) Harindra Rao said on Tuesday that punctuality of train services will not be possible to maintain until dharnas and gheraos are stopped.
"If a train gets delayed for some reasons, there have been many instances when people resorted to dharna or gherao by encroaching on the railway tracks. The trains that are following this particular train automatically get delayed and the schedule goes haywire. I am sorry to say these things are very much present here," Rao said on the sidelines of a Press conference to mark the occasion of 30 years of Passenger Reservation System (PRS), in response to a poser regarding late running of ER trains.
He reiterated that safety of the passengers is ER's prime concern and if there are agitations and dharnas, trains cannot be run on time.
"The passengers need to understand this and we can start train service only when we feel that passenger safety is not jeopardised," he said.
On being questioned about dense fog acting as a barrier to smooth running of trains, Rao said that ER is working on two modern technology devices, through which trains can be operated even in foggy weather.
It may be mentioned that the North Frontier Railways (NFR) had adopted fog masks for the drivers but it had not been effective and drivers were not comfortable with these masks.
The railways have done away with this fog mask and they are working towards an advanced mechanism in this regard.
He also did not rule out the possibility of air conditioned local trains in the ER division. "The process had begun on a trial basis in Mumbai. If the matter augurs well, then gradually Indian Railways may introduce this in Delhi, Kolkata and other metros," Rao added.
He pointed out that at present, 65 percent tickets are being purchased online with 35 percent through manual mode.