Mumbai bandh city suffers as trains crawl, buses stoned, flights cancelled

Mumbai bandh: City suffers as trains crawl, buses stoned, flights cancelled

Maharashtra bandh: Internet blocked, school buses off roads, cops on alert on Business Standard.

BJP and other right-wing parties have accused Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani of inciting the BhimaKoregaon violence

Latest News Mumbaikars struggled to reach their destination as suburban rail services and road transport bore the brunt of protests by Dalit groups during the day-long 'bandh' against the Bhima Koregaon caste clashes on Tuesday.

Local train commuters struggled to reach offices while motorists remained stuck on roads due to the demonstrations in various parts of the city and the extended suburbs. Flight operations at Mumbai Bandh airport were badly hit today due to the Maharashtra-wide protest called by various Dalit groups, with 33 flights, 32 of them from Jet Airways, getting cancelled.

Besides, as many as 377 flights, both flying into and out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), which is the world's busiest single-runway airport, were delayed.

Services of suburban trains, known as the lifeline of Mumbai News, remained disrupted for hours on Central Railway's Main and Harbour Lines, and briefly on Western Railway.

Protesters blocked tracks ahead of Mankhurd railway stations on Harbour line, which resulted into bunching of trains heading towards CSTM and

Panvel.

Police personnel dispersed the squatters to clear the tracks.

Harbour line services remained affected for the second consecutive day as protesters today put gunny bags and heavy slippers on tracks between Govandi and Chembur stations in the afternoon, officials said.

The squatters started a fire on tracks between Govandi and Chembur stations, which was promptly doused by security personnel.

Protests were also held on railway tracks on TransHarbour line connecting Panvel and Thane, at Turbhe, Rabale and Airoli stations.

Compared to Central and Harbour corridors, the Western Railway saw fewer disruptions barring the protests at Virar, Nalasopara, Borvili, Dahisar, Goregaon, Andheri, and Dadar stations.

As services remained stuck, helpless passengers, including senior citizen and even pregnant women, were forced to spend several hours in trains at various suburban stations on the Mumbai railway network.

On Central Line, suburban train services crawled due to protests on tracks at Thane, Nahur, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, and Kurla stations.

The situation was brought under control by the security personnel, comprising GRP, RPF and local police.

The protests resulted into massive delays in services during peak morning hours and even in the afternoon.

Commuters at several stretches of the suburban network were seen walking along the tracks as trains remained stalled.

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