Jamshedpur: Rush in Bihar bound trains and buses for Holi

Jamshedpur, March 9: With the festival of colours round the corner, the Bihar-bound trains and buses from the city have all been booked and getting confirmed tickets has become a near-impossible job.

Seats are reserved till the end of this month. The reservation lists of Bihar-bound trains — Tata-Chhapra Express, Tata-Danapur Express and Tata-Patna South Bihar Express — show zero availability of seats. The rush is expected to remain till Holi, which falls on March 18.

Officials at the computerised ticket-booking centre at Tatanagar revealed that Puri-New Delhi-Purushottam Superfast Express, Neelanchal Express and other long-distance trains that travel via Bihar also had long waiting lists.

Passengers, many of whom are employees of Tata Steel and its associate companies or businessmen based in the steel city, have demanded extra coaches in trains heading for Bihar to ease the rush. The Chotanagpur Passenger Association has also demanded additional coaches to avoid chaos.

“People like to visit their native place to celebrate  Holi. It’s the railways’ duty to make arrangements. We have requested the South Eastern Railway to provide extra coaches in Bihar bound trains to ease the rush,” said a senior functionary of the Chotanagpur Passenger Association.

Station manager of Tatanagar said the railways added extra coaches to trains during Holi every year. “This year, too, we have requested the Garden Reach headquarters of South Eastern Railway to provide extra coaches in Bihar-bound trains,” he said.

Seats on buses to Bihar are also getting booked fast. About 30-odd private and government buses leave Jamshedpur for various destinations in Bihar every day. “Between March 16 and March 18, 90 per cent of the seats have been booked in all these buses,” said  a member of Jamshedpur Bus Owners’ Association adding that  in the next few days,  they expect the remaining 10 per cent also to be filled up.

“ It is that time of the year when people like to visit their native place to celebrate  Holi. It’s the railways’ duty to make arrangements. The South Eastern Railway must provide extra coaches in Bihar bound trains to ease the rush. I am of the opinion that one train can’t serve the purpose, especially when the rush is increasing every year. The railway administration should plan at least two to three trains like they do during other festivals,” said Mahesh Sahu, a resident of Kadma.