Thaindian News

Chandigarh, July 7 (IANS) Hundreds of passengers were Wednesday stranded at railway stations in Chandigarh and in various towns in Punjab and Haryana with heavy rains leading to trains being delayed or cancelled for the second consecutive day.
“The Shatabdi train from Chandigarh is running two hours later than its normal time. Rainwater is still accumulated in railway tracks in Ambala, making things difficult,” G.M. Singh, commercial manager of Northern Railways, Ambala division, told IANS Wednesday.

“The Shatabdi that runs at 7.30 a.m. from New Delhi has been cancelled. Most of the trains in the Ambala division are delayed and some might get cancelled. However, we are expecting the situation to improve if it does not rain during the day,” he stated.

Ashok Verma, a resident of Chandigarh, said: “My family could not reach Chandigarh as the Shatabdi train from Delhi was stopped mid-way in Panipat yesterday. Now again, they have cancelled its morning route. I thought that railway officials must have made some arrangements to deal with such problems during monsoon season,”

Heavy rains have led to floods in several parts of the region with the army being called out in Kurukshetra and Ambala districts. Major breaches in rivers and canals led to flooding of vast areas, disrupting traffic and electricity supply.

Over two-dozen villages in Ludhiana district were also flooded. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal alerted district administrations to keep vigil on vulnerable areas in the state.