The Hindu : Cauvery stir hit commuters the most

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 07, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Cauvery stir hit commuters the most

By Our Staff Correspondent

Mysore Nov. 6. The suspension of train services between Mysore and Bangalore in view of the Cauvery agitation put to hardship hundreds of people who commute between the two cities.

It is estimated that more than 6,000 people commute on the Mysore-Bangalore section by train on a daily basis. They include 1,000 pass holders from Mysore. It is reckoned that there are as many pass holders from other major stations — Mandya, Channapatna, and Ramanagaram. The commuters include officials in public sector undertakings, including the KPTCL, banks, and government departments, and school and college teachers, who take the Chamundi Express which departs from Mysore at 6.45 a.m. and reaches Bangalore at 9.45 a.m. A majority of the commuters return to Mysore and Mandya by the Chamundi Express, which leaves Bangalore at 6.15 p.m. and reaches Mandya by 8.15 p.m. and Mysore at 9.10 p.m.

Following the suspension of train services, employees from Channapatna and Ramanagaram commuted to Bangalore by bus. Bus services were convenient for them, given the short distance. (However, bus services were suspended at the peak of the agitation in Mandya, and a large number of commuters were forced to make alternative arrangements.) But rail pass-holders from Mysore and Mandya found it difficult to reach Bangalore, as daily travel by bus is tiresome.

A group of casual employees of a Bangalore-based company said they could not afford to stay in Bangalore. Bus services were not convenient, as their company was located at Kengeri, where the push-pull passenger services and the early morning Chamundi Express made a brief halt.

Apart from comfort, commuters between Mysore and Bangalore prefer train services, as monthly season tickets are available at Rs. 360. The Railways also issue monthly season tickets at lower rates for those employed in the unorganised sector, such as domestic helpers, agricultural labourers, and construction site workers. A sizeable section of workers from Channapatna, Ramanagaram, and Bidadi on the Mysore-Bangalore sector avail themselves of the facility. But, in the absence of train services, they faced an uncertain situation.

It is two months since the Cauvery agitation was launched following the Supreme Court's directive to the State on September 3, and both train and bus services on the Bangalore-Mysore sector were among the first to be affected. The Railways took the brunt of mob fury when farmers went on a rampage and ransacked the Mandya station. A mob set ablaze the diesel engine of the Mysore-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express near Hanakere. The authorities immediately announced suspension of services on the sector.

Although efforts were made to restore train services following a lull in the agitation, the authorities decided against operating them till the track inspection was carried out. More than 200 wooden sleepers, which were set ablaze near the Lokapavana bridge on the outskirts of Pandavpura, had to be replaced. Though the Railway authorities replaced the sleepers, and the track was certified as fit for resuming services, the authorities in Bangalore did not take chances.

As a senior Railway official explained: "It is the Indian Railways which is the first target of mob fury, and we incur a loss to the tune of lakhs of rupees. The senseless violence on the Swarna Jayanti Express, whose engine was set ablaze, cost the Railways Rs. 3 crore to Rs. 4 crore. The State Government does not compensate the Railways for the losses incurred, and there was no point in taking a risk and resuming operations till the situation was totally under control."

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