Bihar, UP People Struggle for Trains Ahead of Chhath
Every year, as the festival season arrives, migrants face severe hardship due to the limited number of trains connecting Telangana with northern states.
Hyderabad: With Chhath Puja approaching on Monday, one of the most important festivals for people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, thousands of migrant workers and families settled in Hyderabad are struggling to secure train tickets to their hometowns. Every year, as the festival season arrives, migrants face severe hardship due to the limited number of trains connecting Telangana with northern states. Despite repeated representations to the ministry of railways, no permanent solution has been offered.
Many daily wage workers—earning between Rs.500 and Rs.700 a day—say the special trains introduced by Indian Railways during the festive season are too costly and take longer than regular services. Several passengers waiting at booking counters on Tuesday morning voiced frustration over high fares, delays, and overcrowded coaches. The Bihar Sahyog Samiti, Telangana, has for years been demanding new train services to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Its members have repeatedly written to the railway minister and met senior South Central Railway (SCR) officials, but say their pleas have gone unheard.
Binay Kumar Yadav of the Bihar Sahyog Samiti said, “We have appealed to everyone—from the Prime Minister to Union ministers, MPs and MLAs—for new trains. But no party is taking this issue seriously. Central leaders visit Telangana and make tall promises but never act. The people of Bihar are suffering greatly this time, and they will remember this during elections.”
He added that all political parties were using Bihari migrants as a vote bank. “Many leaders from Bihar, including MPs and Union ministers, frequently visit Hyderabad and attend local events. People raise their concerns about train shortages every time, but no concrete action follows. Even local politicians have shown little interest,” he said.
Meanwhile, the South Central Railway (SCR) said it was making extensive arrangements to handle the festive rush. SCR general manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava told reporters on Tuesday that Indian Railways had planned over 12,000 special trains across the country during Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath Puja, of which 973 trains belong to SCR.
From September 21 to October 20, the zone operated 1,010 regular and festival special trains between various destinations—47 per cent more than the 684 operated during the same period last year. In total, 4.8 crore passengers travelled during this festive period.
Railway officials said additional coaches—237 in total—were attached to existing trains to clear waiting lists. Some trains were also given extra halts at Lingampalli, Hi-Tec City, Charlapalli and Malkajgiri to reduce congestion at major terminals. All major stations are now under CCTV surveillance, with real-time monitoring at the station, zonal, and Railway Board levels to ensure smooth operations.
