Maharashtra: Puntamba villagers stage rail roko protest, demand train halts and improved infrastructure

Local sat on the tracks as part of their rail roko protest. Pic/Madhav Ojha

Local residents and villagers of Puntamba and surrounding small villages in Maharashtra staged a rail roko for three hours at Puntamba Junction railway station on the Daund-Manmad railway line for their various demands. The primary demand has been to restore halts to trains at the station.

"Puntamba Railway Station has been operational since the British era. All trains used to halt at this station. Citizens and pilgrims from the surrounding areas benefitted from the railway services. However, since the COVID-19 period, only one DEMU train stops here," a letter and petition from villagers of Puntamba and surrounding villages said.

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"In the last four years, the arbitrariness of the railway administration had caused inconvenience to the residents of this area by removing halts of up and down trains running from this junction. Despite, repeated correspondence, there has been no response. We have met everyone and sent petitions to DRM Pune, GM Central Railway, Rail Bhavan about stopping the train. But this and various demands were not met," the letter added.

Puntamba village has always been a pilgrimage site. The main shrine of the revered saint Changdev Maharaj is here. About ten kilometers from this station is the pilgrimage site of Chidambar Swami, attracting numerous devotees from South India. Additionally, Puntamba has the country's best hospital for the treatment of paralysis patients. For ordinary patients coming for treatment, the railway is a safe and affordable mode of transport, the letter adds.

"A railway line was being laid from Puntamba to Shirdi. At that time, the then railway management assured the local citizens that all passenger trains would halt at Puntamba Junction. Due to the non-fulfillment of this assurance, the villagers now find it necessary to hold this Rail Roko. The consequences, good or bad, will be the responsibility of the railway administration," the letter added.

The protest was carried out peacefully and there was no loss or damage to railway property. No politicians were involved in the rail roko. Following the protest, the railways have agreed to look into the demands of halting five trains at Puntamba station. In addition to this, Divisional Railway Manager Indu Dubey spoke to the leader of protestors from the village Dr Dhananjay Dhanwate over the phone.

Accordingly, commercial inspector Ashok Yadav has given a written assurance to the village sarpanch Swati Pawar, deputy sarpanch Nikiti Jadhav after which the protestors vacated the track.

Due to the co-ordination of RPF deputy security commissioner Sunil Chate and Ahmednagar assistant divisional engineer A Trivedi and villagers, the protest ended peacefully.

More points from petition

'Recently, a chord line was laid from Daund to Shirdi, and the halt of all trains at Puntamba was discontinued. Therefore, we humbly request that all passenger trains going to and from Shirdi, Daund, and Manmad be given a 2-minute stop at Puntamba Junction and the chord line. This movement is being initiated for this demand.

'It is necessary to resume the operation of all passenger trains that halted at Puntamba station before COVID-19, including the Maharashtra Express. Trains that previously stopped at Puntamba, as well as the Jhelum Express, Goa Express, and the newly started Amravati-Pune train, should be given a 1-minute stop at Puntamba Junction. This will provide safe travel facilities for thousands of passengers in the region.

'The underpasses constructed on the Shirdi-Daund-Manmad rail route from Puntamba Junction are poorly designed. This affects the movement of passenger buses, school buses, and farmers' tractors. Additionally, large containers face difficulties here. The road has been dug for cabling at Gate Numbers 58A and Gates 1, 2, and 3, causing significant inconvenience for local citizens. It is difficult to transport school children, and in emergencies, to take ambulances and fire fighters.

'The villagers and residents of Puntamba convened a special Gram Sabha on 24 July 2024 to address these issues. In this Gram Sabha, all villagers decided to initiate a Rail Roko movement.