This Article is From Dec 26, 2010

Gujjar agitation spreads, rail, road routes hit

Jaipur: Stepping up their protests on Saturday, members of the Gujjar community in Rajasthan blocked rail and road routes in various parts of the state blocking links between Delhi and Jaipur, Jaipur and Agra and Mumbai and Delhi as well.

Seventy trains were affected, diverted or cancelled in the busy holiday season. And caught in the cross fire are harassed passengers.

"I want to spend my holiday with my parents and I don't know if I will be able to," said a passenger.

The plans to move out of Jaipur in this festive season of Christmas and New Year have got disrupted.

But not only Jaipur, with the Gujjars also occupying tracks at Mandal, all trains on the Ajmer-Chittorgarh route were suspended and directly hit was Gujarat. Twenty six trains from Baroda were diverted with most trains running 8 to 10 hours behind schedule.

Mumbai station too saw chaotic scenes.

The Gehlot government has dispatched three senior IAS officers with a fresh offer for talks to the Gujjars agitating at Pilupura. But so far, there seems no end to the impasse.

After jamming the rail routes the Gujjars have now occupied National Highway No. 11, though it's a calculated strategy by the Gehlot government that they will not confront the agitating Gujjars as they don't want to escalate the law and order situation.

With most of Eastern Rajasthan now at a standstill, it's critical that the Gehlot government bring them to the negotiating table as early as possible.
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