Jamshedpur Gurudwara committee seeks daily Jallianwala Bagh Express between Tatanagar and Amritsar
PINAKI MAJUMDAR Jamshedpur, October 5: The Central Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee has intensified its demand for the daily operation of the Jallianwala Bagh…
PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, October 5: The Central Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee has intensified its demand for the daily operation of the Jallianwala Bagh Express between Tatanagar and Amritsar, instead of its existing three-day-a-week service.
A 31-member delegation of the committee met South Eastern Railway AGM Manish Jain in Jamshedpur on Monday and submitted a memorandum seeking an increase in the train’s frequency.
The delegation said daily operation of the Jallianwala Bagh Express would provide much-needed relief to passengers from Jamshedpur and other parts of Kolhan travelling to Punjab and other destinations in northern India.
Committee members said the Jallianwala Bagh Express used to operate regularly before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, following changes in railway operations after the pandemic, its frequency was reduced to three days a week.
Since then, passengers travelling to Amritsar, Punjab and other parts of north India have been facing considerable inconvenience, the committee said.
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Passengers travel for jobs, business and treatment
The delegation pointed out that a large number of people from Jamshedpur and neighbouring areas travel to Punjab and other parts of northern India for employment, business, education, medical treatment and family-related work.
With the train operating only on limited days, passengers are often forced to plan their journeys around its schedule. The difficulty becomes more acute when berths are unavailable on other trains, committee members said.
The committee stressed that Tatanagar is an important railway station of South Eastern Railway and witnesses substantial passenger movement towards Punjab.
Increasing the frequency of the Jallianwala Bagh Express from three days to all seven days of the week would provide passengers with a more regular and convenient rail connection, a committee member said.
Several representations made earlier
Committee members said they had submitted representations to railway authorities several times in the past seeking daily operation of the train.
Although they were assured of positive action, the demand has remained pending, they said, leading to growing resentment among passengers.
The committee urged the railway administration to treat the issue as a passenger-related concern and increase the train’s frequency to seven days a week.
It also stressed that the demand was not limited to members of the Sikh community and that a daily service would benefit passengers across Jamshedpur and the wider Kolhan region.
Committee threatens agitation
The committee warned that if the demand was not addressed soon, it would launch an agitation at Tatanagar railway station along with citizens.
It also threatened to resort to a rail blockade if necessary.
The delegation appealed to the railway authorities to take an early decision in the larger interest of passengers and avoid a situation that could lead to disruption of rail services at Tatanagar.
