Train services paralysed across Telangana region

HYDERABAD: Pro-Telangana activists brought train services in the region to a halt on Thursday as part of Telangana Joint Action Committee’s 12-hour rail roko agitation demanding separate state even as thousands of passengers were either stranded at railway stations or in trains.Telangana activists squatted on the railway tracks, played kabbadi and burnt tyres bringing the train movements to a halt at various places. Though RTC operated special buses from almost every major station, it could not give much relief to the passengers.With the South Central Railways cancelling or rescheduling several passenger, express and long-distance trains, commuters had a tough time reaching their destinations.Apart from the local police, the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force were deployed to ensure that the protestors did not remove fish plates or cause damage to the railway tracks.Though the rail roko agitation was supposed to start from 6 a.m, agitators tried to stop the Hyderabad-Nanded passenger at Maraspet in Medak district in the wee hours but police took the agitators into custody.MMTS services between Secunderabad and Lingampally, however, operated without any hindrance.Minister Thota Narsimhulu, who was on his way to Hyderabad in Gautami Express, was stranded at Nekkonda in Warangal. As police tried to shift him into a car, the Telangana agitators pelted stones on the vehicle damaging its window panes. Additional forces reached the place and shifted the minister to a safer place.Additional director general of police (law and order) M Ratan said 17 passenger trains and 12 goods trains were detained for some time various places. Most of the trains reached their destinations much later than the scheduled time. Long distance trains like Ernakulam-Patna Express, Darbhanga-Bangalore Express and Nizamuddin-Visakhapatnam Link Express had to wait at Kazipet, Yeluguru and Nekkonda respectively till evening. Arrangements for food, water and other essentials were made for the stranded passengers. Police said 27 cases have been registered and 598 persons were arrested for obstructing the movement of trains.