IRCTC pantry car staff stranded at Tirupati

Tirupati: About 57 members working in IRCTC pantry cars of Sabari Express, AP Sampark Kranthi Express and Karnataka Sampark Kranthi Express have been provided accommodation at South Central Railway's holiday home in Tirupati with the initiative of Guntakal DRM Alok Tiwari.

The staff from two rakes of Sabari Express were stranded at Tirupati following the imposition of Janata Curfew and kept at Renigunta and Pakala.

After a coronavirus positive case was found in AP Sampark Kranthi Express coming from New Delhi, its pantry car staff was quarantined at Renigunta from March 15.

As their quarantine period was over and it was found that all are safe, they reached Tirupati on March 29. The staff from Pakala also reached Tirupati. When all of them gathered at the station as a group, police objected as prohibitory orders under Section-144 were being implemented.

The IRCTC authorities have taken up the matter to the notice of DRM Alok Tiwari who instructed them to shift to holiday home where TTD has been providing food to them. They need to stay there only till train services are resumed after the lockdown period is over. However, the staff who have been away from their families for all these days were expressing their eagerness to go back to their homes.