By IANS
New Delhi : Thousands of passengers and tourists were stranded Thursday after bus and railway services connecting to the capital with Jaipur were discontinued or rescheduled following fresh violence in Rajasthan between Gujjars and authorities.
Protests by the Gujjar community to press their demand for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status choked the highways linking Jaipur with New Delhi and Agra.
New Delhi, Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur form India's most visited tourism circuit, called the Golden Triangle.
Agitators also obstructed highway stretches of Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur and Jaipur-Bundi-Sawai Madhopur.
Those who arrived at various railway stations and interstate bus terminals in Delhi to go to Jaipur were in for a shock when they were informed that most services were cancelled or diverted.
Indian Railways cancelled 23 trains to and from Rajasthan and rescheduled one more after the protesters destroyed the railway tracks near Jaipur and Agra.
The Sarai Raohilla-Porbander Express, Bareilly-Bhuj Express, Ahmedabad-Ashram Express, Jaiselmer-Intercity Express, Ahmedabad Rajdhani, Nizamuddin-Udaipur Mewar Express and Mumbai Rajdhani were among the trains cancelled Thursday morning.
Those queuing up at the office of the Rajasthan State Road Transport Cooperation in the Bikaner House here were told that all buses between New Delhi and Jaipur had been cancelled since Tuesday afternoon.
The Gujjar community's protest programme had taken a violent turn Tuesday, leaving 14 people dead.
At the Bikaner House, around 60 people were waiting for the service to resume even as they remained glued to a television set for news from Rajasthan.
"We are asked to approach the Bikaner House, but since the morning we are stranded here. We are waiting if they the bus service is resumed in the evening," 60-year-old Shankar Singh told IANS.
Added Kamalesh, another elderly man: "I and my wife had come to Delhi for vacations for a couple of days but when we came here to catch the bus back home, we were informed that no bus service is available.
"Now we have to wait here as we have no other option left. We are worried too as we are running short of money," he added.
Hazi Mohammed and his eight-member family, who had arrived here from Hyderabad, were ready to shell out any amount to reach Jaipur.
"We have come here as my brother is getting married on Saturday. Look at the stuff we have purchased for his marriage. We must reach there in time," said Hazi, sitting in the waiting room with his seven children and wife.
"You show me the way or help me in hiring a taxi, I am ready to pay twice or thrice the fare amount," he added.
Adihira Nayak, wife of a government official in Rajasthan, said: "It's just a game of dirty politics and these politicians are playing with people's sentiments."
Bikaner House station officer O.P. Babbar told IANS: "We are waiting for orders from Rajasthan. Our staff here is ready and we will resume the service as soon as the situation improves in the state.
"We can't take chances as protesters have mainly targeted state transport buses," he added.