Amid the possibility of a power crisis due to shortage of coal, the Indian Railways has cancelled around 42 passenger trains so far to ensure faster delivery to and from coal producing regions of Chattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Even though the Railways has said that this is an ‘interim measure’ and cancellations have mostly taken place in non-priority sectors and less busy routes, many passengers have been left in the lurch ahead of the upcoming summer holiday season.
Among the trains that have been cancelled to facilitate movement of freight trains carrying coal, 34 are from the coal rich South East Central Railway (SECR) and eight from Northern Railways where many of the power plants are based.
