Howrah, 11 October (H.S.): Angry passengers, upset by the train's failure to arrive on time, sat on the tracks at Bargachhia station on the South Eastern Railway's route on Saturday morning, blocking train movement. This rail blockade disrupted train services along the entire route for approximately three and a half hours.

According to sources, train delays are a daily problem on the Howrah-Amta route. Regular commuters said that despite repeated complaints, the railway has made no improvement. On Saturday, a local train scheduled to arrive at 6.40 a.m., failed to arrive on time. Angered by this, passengers left the station and descended onto the tracks to protest. Passengers alleged that the train was delayed by approximately two hours, preventing many from reaching their workplaces on time.

Reacting to the situation, Om Prakash Charan, Chief Public Relations Officer of South Eastern Railway, denied the passengers' allegations, saying, Today's blockage caused a temporary problem. Our officers arrived at the scene and tried to pacify the passengers.

Railway police, Jagatballabhpur police, and the Rapid Action Force were called in to bring the situation under control. A minor altercation occurred between the police and the protesters over the removal of the blockade. The rail blockade finally ended after 11 a.m., after which train traffic gradually returned to normal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey