Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), April 7 (NationPress) Frustration over extended delays in passenger train services at the Tatanagar Railway Station and throughout the Chakradharpur railway division escalated on Tuesday. Various social, business, and political groups came together to organize a significant sit-in protest, led by Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy from the JD-U.

The demonstration, which took place in the vicinity of the station, featured demonstrators expressing their strong dissatisfaction towards what they called the "ineffectiveness and disregard" of the railway authorities. The protesters called for an urgent restoration of passenger facilities and a firm commitment to train schedules.

During his address, Roy declared that the ongoing delays in train operations had reached an "intolerable" level for the public. He announced the establishment of a 21-member committee comprising representatives from various parties and organizations to lead a determined movement on this matter in the near future.

In a serious warning, the MLA stated that if passenger trains were not run on time, people might resort to halting goods trains in protest. He also mentioned that a delegation would soon approach the Railway Board Chairman and the Railway Minister to demand accountability and solutions.

The protest garnered support from several notable organizations, such as the Marwari Sammelan, Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Vishva Hindu Parishad, Adivasi Ho Samaj, and Munda Samaj. Representatives from these groups emphasized that train delays ranging from four to five hours had become commonplace, adversely affecting daily commuters, patients, workers, and students.

Speakers at the protest accused the railways of prioritizing goods trains for revenue maximization, often leaving passenger trains stranded in remote areas.

Roy also criticized the railways’ assertions of introducing new services, claiming that many trains that were discontinued during the Covid-19 pandemic were simply being rebranded. He pointed out that besides the Vande Bharat Express, no notable new passenger services had been introduced in the last five years and raised concerns about the alleged oversight of the Chakradharpur division.

Earlier in the day, minor tensions flared between the protesters and railway officials due to a last-minute change in the protest location. However, the situation was resolved following Roy’s arrival, and the demonstration proceeded peacefully.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Aditya Chaudhary, who visited the protest site, acknowledged the delays issue and handed an official communication to the MLA, assuring that technical upgrades and operational enhancements would soon be put in place to guarantee timely train services.