Title - First special train leaves for Bangalore

GUWAHATI: A few hundred passengers on Saturday boarded the Guwahati-Bangalore special train escorted by a special team comprising of Assam Police, Railway Protection Force and the General Railway Police (GRP) personnel. The passengers on the first special train were part of the group that had fled the souther city following rumours and the messages circulated through mobile phones and instances of attacks on people from the northeast.State forest and environment minsiter Rockybul Hussain and agriculture minister Nilomoni Sen Deka were at the railway station to assure the passengers that they were safe. The two also distributed food among them. However, the special train was not as crowded as expected as it was believed that many more would be returning to Bangalore for work or studies. "We have provided security for the passengers. There is a special team comprising 23 RPF and 9 GRP personnel escorting them till Bangalore. Passengers will be boarding at various places. We have not provided free tickets and they have to pay the normal fare. There may be another special train on September 5," said Rockybul Hussain.Tezpur's Ganesh Thapa, who works at a mall in Bangalore, said: "I left Bangalore on August 16 fearing for my life after the rumours. I boarded the train back home hoping I would return as soon as things return to normal. I got to know about the special train through news. Let's see what happens... It doesn't matter... we all have to die one day or the other."Similarly, Sarbeshwar Mili from North Lakhimpur accompanied by his wife and infant child were also part of the exodus. "I work with a software firm as a security guard. We left on August 16. Now, it seems things are back to normal and I have to return as it is a matter of my daily bread. I have spoken to my landlord and employer and they have asked me to return. My employer had even assured security for me and my family then, but I couldn't take the risk," said Mili.On August 30, chief minister Tarun Gogoi had announced that a special train would be run for those who had left Bangalore and other southern cities. Most of the passengers' names were noted by the government when they returned and were provided with special buses to take them to Guwahati. On Saturday, there was confusion amongst the passengers as most of them though that the ride would be free and complained that the railways was charging extra for the special train. "I had to pay extra money for the tickets. I thought that it would be free as we didn't pay when we returned from there. There were brokers who also wanted to take advantage of the situation. They are also charging extra for the tickets as well," complained one passenger."There is no provision for free of charge journey. The ticket fare for the special train is 591 rupees and seventeen coaches were added to the train. Most of the coaches are sleeper class with one general coach and there are no AC coaches attached to it. However, the reservation is full," said an official of the Railways.