Title - Chain of trouble for elite train

If delay is dogging Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, blame it on passengers at Tatanagar.Running four days a week, barring Wednesdays and weekends, the high-profile train arrives at the Jamshedpur junction at 3.50pm and its scheduled departure is at 3.55pm. However, most of the 100-odd people who board the Rajdhani from the city are latecomers and take a toll on punctuality of the express."Passengers pull the chain almost every alternate day, delaying the train by at least 15 minutes," Rajendra Prasad, the officiating station manager of Tatanagar, said, but expressed helplessness.He also pointed to the malpractice of blocking coach entrances with luggage as yet another reason behind the necessity to pull the chain frequently. "We have, however, been able to somewhat curb this practice in the past two weeks by imposing a spot fine of Rs 500," he added. Concerned over the bad name Rajdhani was earning because of routine delay in departure, the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SCCI) has written to the Railway Board and general manager of South Eastern Railway, seeking a 10-minute halt at Tatanagar instead of five.
"We hope a longer stopover will help passengers manage time better and do away with the practice of pulling the chain frequently and unnecessarily," said Suresh Sonthalia, the vice-president of SCCI.
The Chotanagpur Passenger Association too has taken cognisance of the issue.
"We are aware of Rajdhani's poor punctuality record at Tatanagar. We will raise the issue at the next meeting of zonal railway users' consultative committee. We believe both the railways and passengers will benefit if the halt time is increased," a senior functionary of the association echoed Sonthalia.