Kurmi stir: About 191 trains cancelled

Kolkata: Amidst ongoing protest by the Kurmi community demanding Schedule Tribe status, the South Eastern Railway (SER) has cancelled 191 trains in the next three days. At least 95 trains have been cancelled on Sunday, 93 trains on Monday and three on Tuesday.

The SER had to cancel 74 trains on Saturday because of the ongoing protest. These cancellations have been a continuation since Wednesday when the protest began. The protest started at 5 am on Wednesday. The agitation has been taking place at Kustaur Station in the Adra-Chandil section and Khemasuli Station in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of Kharagpur division, according to an SER official. According to an official, since none of the demands placed by the agitators is connected with the railway, they are unable to predict when the situation will be normalised.

The official stated that no train has been stuck enroute, however, passengers, who needed medical support and students, amongst many others are facing problems due to the cancellations.

The SER had to cancel 71 trains on Friday. Various trains were diverted, and short-terminated.

The cancelled trains include many long-distance trains to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Udaipur amongst others.

According to a railway official, the financial loss and property damage during these past few days are yet to be assessed.

At least 30 freight trains are blocked. These goods trains contain raw materials for the making of steel and cement production. There are also essential items, including fertilisers and food grains, amongst others.