Heavy rush in trains in Bihar after Holi

Patna, March 8 (IANS) All the trains running from Bihar were on Sunday packed with thousands of migrant workers returning to their places of work across the country two days after Holi.

"After Holi, most of the railway stations in state were witnessing a heavy rush of passengers on Sunday. There is virtually no place available in long distance trains since Saturday till the second week of March as mostly migrant workers are returning to their work places outside the state," a railway official here said.

East Central Railway's (ECR) chief public relations officer A.K. Razak said it was a big challenge for them as there was a heavy rush in all trains -- especially on long route trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Surat and Chandigarh from Bihar and Jharkhand.

Admitting that the trains were overcrowded, Razak said: "It is a fact that railway stations are witnessing a huge rush of passengers, mostly migrant workers, who are returning to join work after Holi."

Manish Kumar, who works in a private factory at Surat in Gujarat, said it was difficult to get reservation in any train due to the heavy rush.

"I had to join duty on March 9, but I was forced to inform my office that I will not be able to make it," said Kumar, who was standing in a long queue at Patna railway station.

Kumar is one of the thousands of migrant workers who have been waiting at various railway stations across the state to board long distance trains.

"We have no option but to travel in unreserved bogie. We will board an express train to Ludhiana in the night," said Sanjay Yadav, who works in a garment factory in Ludhiana.

Yadav, who never misses an opportunity to visit his village to celebrate the festival of colours with his family, said: "We have been sitting here since early Sunday morning... all coaches of the long distance trains are packed. But it is not new, the rush in the trains is normal after Holi," he said.

Mukesh Prasad Singh, who works in Andhra Pradesh, said: "There is no place available in any long distance train."

Meanwhile, the railway authorities are running special trains to meet the rush. "We are also attaching extra coaches in long distance trains," Razak said.

According to an estimate, over 50 lakh workers from the state are employed across the country, particularly in big cities, and at least half of them visit home during Holi, a colourful festival known for its earthy flavour with Bhojpuri songs and traditional dishes.

Crowded platforms, long queues at the railway ticket counters and over-crowded trains were a common sight across the state.