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The protests in Punjab forced the railway authorities to cancel trains coming in and going out of the region. Many trains have been left stranded since Monday morning after violence broke in several parts of the state. The cancelled trains include electric multiple units mostly connecting Jalandhar city to other parts of the state, according to Northern Railway officials. In Jammu alone, nineteen trains bound for Delhi were cancelled as curfew was imposed in several towns of Punjab. A mob had set three bogies of the Kanyakumari-Jammu Tawi Express on fire as the train was passing through Phagwara.
In Jalandhar, the epicentre of the protests, mob set coaches on fire at the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station and blocked the national highway no 1. There was a complete disruption of rail traffic on the busy Jalandhar-Amritsar track as protesters squatted on the tracks. A railway spokesperson said the blockade had a spiraling effect and several long distance trains were left stranded in various stations. The authorities have opened helpline desks in stations like Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozpur and Jammu Tawi.
Flights cancelled
In the Subhash Chandra Bose International airport, stormy winds at 80 kmph forced the authorities to temporarily suspend all the flights from the city.
According to the airport officials, all incoming flights, including domestic and international ones, were diverted to different routes since 2 pm, as low visibility at the runway made it difficult for planes to land and take off.
Seven domestic flights have been sent back or diverted to other airports of Aizwal, New Delhi and Mumbai. They were forced to divert international flights from Bangkok and Dhaka. The situation was so bad that the main runway, which was shut down for repairs, was brought into use.