Railway Officials Meet Saryu Roy Over Train Delays

MLA Demands Punctuality Over Statistics

Jamshedpur: Following directives from the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Chakradharpur Division, the Tatanagar Area Manager met with MLA Saryu Roy on Monday to address ongoing concerns regarding passenger train delays.

Railway Administration’s Defense

The Area Manager informed Roy that the railway administration is making tireless efforts to ensure trains run on schedule and is already seeing success. He presented a chart highlighting 13 passenger trains—including the South Bihar Express, Tata-Thawe, and Steel Express—that have recently departed or arrived at Tatanagar on time.

Key points from the railway’s briefing included:

• Prioritizing Passengers: Freight train operations in the Chakradharpur Division have been reduced by 2% recently to prioritize passenger train punctuality.
• DRM’s Concern: The DRM also contacted Roy via telephone to express disappointment over “discouraging” headlines in local media, asserting that such criticism hurts morale while the department is working hard to improve services.

Saryu Roy’s Counter-Stand

MLA Saryu Roy remained firm, stating that administrative data and reduced freight traffic mean little to the average commuter if delays persist.

“We are not concerned with whether freight traffic increases or decreases. Our only objective is that passenger trains must arrive and depart from Tatanagar on time. That is the sole purpose of our movement,” Roy clarified.

He addressed the DRM’s grievances by noting that public anger is a natural result of persistent delays and that newspapers exercise their own editorial discretion in framing headlines.

Allegations of Data Manipulation

Roy further alleged that the railway administration might be “cleverly” underreporting delays on social media. Citing reports from ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) for April 13, he pointed out discrepancies:

• Badampahar MEMU (68134): Reported as 15 minutes late, while allegedly running 1.5 hours behind schedule.
• Other Delays: Reports indicated the Howrah Mail was an hour late, the Chakradharpur-Tata was nearly two hours late, and the Shalimar Express was delayed by an hour.

Final Ultimatum

Roy urged the railway administration to make an “honest effort” rather than a statistical one and demanded a daily transparency report on passenger train operations. He warned that if the punctuality issue remains unresolved, the Rail Yatri Sangharsh Samiti will announce the next phase of its agitation.