13 March,2018 12:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B Aklekar
Farmers take the Panchavati Express, sitting in the additional coach attached to the train for them
They had planned everything, right down to the last detail, including arrangement for the journey back home. As soon as the meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis concluded yesterday, the protesting farmers hopped onto rickety jeeps and vans, bearing MH-15 and MH-16, registration numbers of Nashik and Ahmednagar from where they had come, in the evening. The vehicles were seen lined up near Azad Maidan and Mumbai CSMT square, where the farmers had gathered.
"It is a long journey, and our leaders had arranged for vans and jeeps, as there were many women and children. We knew it would be a tiring trip, so these were our back-ups," Kanta Shiney, a protester, said.
Farmers crowd in a CSMT-Bhusawal train on Monday night
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Others who wanted to reach faster and were with families took trains, the first one among them the Mumbai-Manmad Panchavati Express, to which the Central Railway had attached an additional coach. Tukaram Ingaase, sitting in the coach 'For farmers', said, "We marched to Mumbai with hope and are going back with some assurance. I hope this government keeps its promise."
"There are two dedicated trains for farmers wanting to return - one a 13-coach general class one at 8.50 pm and the other with 18 coaches at 10 pm, both from CSMT to Bhusawal. In addition to this, one additional coach has been added to Panchavati Express and Howrah Mail each at 9.30 pm, and to Shirdi Express at 9.45 pm," a senior CR official said.
The RPF arranged for snacks and tea and guided the farmers to the platforms, and dedicated teams ensured that peak hour traffic was not disturbed. The MSRTC arranged for 15 buses, which left from Azad Maidan, and several more outside Kasara station, from where it would be faster for farmers to return to Nashik.
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