Mumbai: Nearly 6,000 passengers were stranded as train services on the Konkan Railway route in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district were suspended on Thursday.
The decision was made after a river overflowed following heavy rains, while incessant downpour badly hit road and rail traffic in several parts of the state.
So far, nine trains have been regulated due to disruption of services on the Konkan Railway (KR) route, meaning they have been either rerouted, short-terminated or cancelled, officials said.
Major rivers in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts in the Konkan region are flowing above the danger mark as a result of incessant rains, and the government machinery is in the process of shifting a number of affected people to safer places, authorities said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took a review of the situation arising out of the continuous downpour in these two coastal districts, the chief minister's office (CMO) said.
During the meeting, Thackeray said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert of heavy rainfall in the coastal region for the next three days. He asked the authorities to remain alert and keep monitoring the levels of overflowing rivers and evacuate residents to safer places.
Konkan Railway (KR) officials said stranded trains were at safe locations on different stations and the passengers in them were also safe and they were being provided food and water.
Water level at the Vashishti river bridge between Chiplun and Kamathe stations in Ratnagiri has risen above the danger mark after the heavy downpour, an official said.
"In view of the safety of passengers, train services in this section are suspended temporarily," he said. According to rail officials, 5,500-6,000 passengers were stranded in trains which were regulated at various stations on the 756-km--long KR route, which is spread across three states - Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka - and passes through tough terrain.
