64 trains cancelled as agitation by Kurmi organisations in Bengal continue for third day
Kolkata (PTI): At least 64 express and passenger trains were cancelled on Friday owing to agitation by different Kurmi organisations blocking train tracks in the important Kharagpur-Tatanagar and Adra-Chandil sections of South Eastern Railway that have been continuing for three days, an SER official said.
Both long distance and local passengers have been suffering immensely owing to the rail blockade by different Kurmi organisations, who have been agitating over a string of demands including recognition as a scheduled tribe, recognition of Sarna religion and inclusion of Kurmali language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.
More than 225 trains have been cancelled since April 5 when the blockade by a group of people over issues not related to the railway started at Kustaur station in Adra-Chandil section of Adra division and at Khemasuli station in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railway, the official said.
Organisations claiming to represent the interest of the Kurmi people, who are based mainly in the Chotanagpur plateau covering Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, had in September, 2022, also resorted to a five-day long blockade of railway tracks at these two stations over similar demands.
While Kustaur is in Purulia district of West Bengal, Khemasuli is in Paschim Medinipur district of the state.
Kurmi organisations are protesting in different districts of the state, including Dakshin Dinajpur, Purulia, Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur. Kurmis are presently classified as OBCs.
Among the trains cancelled on Friday are 12262 Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Duronto Express, 12860 Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Gitanjali Express, 12021/12022 Howrah-Barbil-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, 12152 Shalimar-LTT Express and 12833/12834 Ahmedabad-Howrah-Ahmedabad Express, the SER official said.
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Air India flight from Mumbai makes 'priority' landing in Bhopal after snag; return leg cancelled
Bhopal (PTI): A Bhopal-bound Air India flight from Mumbai carrying 175 persons on board made a “priority” landing here on Sunday due to a snag, an airport official said.
The aircraft landed safely at Bhopal airport at 3.20 pm, he said.
Consequently, the return leg of the flight from Bhopal to Mumbai, with 178 passengers booked, was cancelled, the official said.
AAI-run Bhopal airport said in a statement that Air India flight AI 633 “reported a technical issue to Air Traffic Control (ATC) during the flight from Mumbai to Bhopal”.
Immediately, all prescribed safety protocols were activated, and seamless coordination was ensured between ATC, airline ground operations, CISF and airpiort fire and rescue team of Bhopal airport, it said in a statement.
The flight, carrying 175 persons, including 166 passengers and nine crew members, landed safely at Bhopal airport at 3.20 pm, the airport operator said.
All necessary assistance and support were extended by the airport and airline teams as per the requirements of the flight crew, it said.
“Due to the technical issue, the aircraft was declared unserviceable, and as a precautionary measure, the return flight AI-634 (Bhopal to Mumbai) was cancelled by the airline to facilitate detailed inspection and rectification,” the statement said.
