Title - Villagers’ protest leaves Bangalore passengers stranded

Hundreds of passengers travelling to Bangalore from Mysore by Chamundi Express were stranded in the train for nearly six hours at Hanakere near Mandya on Monday, thanks to the negligence of the railway officials.The passengers boarded the push-pull Mysore-Bangalore train at Mysore which left the city at 6.45 am. The train was stopped at Mandya railway station as the villagers blocked the railway track at Maddur to protest the Cauvery River Authority (CRA)’s directive to release water to Tamil Nadu.Deepak, who is working with Standard Chartered Bank in Bangalore, said when he was going to Mysore on Sunday afternoon, he had to get down at Mandya railway station as the villagers stopped the train. “ I had to hire a taxi to reach Mysore. On Monday, when I was buying the ticket at the railway counter, I asked railway officials if any protest is taking place in Mandya or Maddur. The officials said there is no problem and the push-pull train will reach Bangalore without any hassles. So I purchased the ticket. But the officials gave the wrong information. The train was stopped at Maddur. I had to apply for leave on Monday due to the delay. If the officials had given the correct information, I would have arranged for a vehicle to reach Bangalore,” said Deepak, who travels to Mysore every weekend.