New Delhi: With the railways cancelling over 250 trains to and from Delhi Saturday, confused passengers gathered at the inquiry kiosk of New Delhi Railway Station, hoping to get some clarity about their tickets and train schedules.Several people were also stuck inside the station due to lack of transport and a shutdown of internet services in the area. A passenger claimed he was even denied a room by five hotels as he “looked like a Gen Z”.The railways has said it had to cancel or reschedule hundreds of trains at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations as security arrangements due to Saturday’s protest would make it difficult for people to reach or leave the station.“Most trains going to different part of northern India pass through Delhi. How are we to reach our colleges for exam if all of them are cancelled?” said Aniket Kumar, a student of Lovely Professional University. He and his friends nervously paced up and down the waiting area, trying to think of a way to reach their colleges in time for their mid-term exams starting Monday.Security personnel asked people not to take pictures or videos. Anyone found with a phone at the chest level was confronted – their gallery frisked for visuals of closed metro station gates or LED screens declaring several trains cancelled. A passenger, Damanjeet, said he had to pay twice the fare because he couldn’t book an auto online. Confusing bus routes, closure of metro stations and the inability to use online maps forced people to either commute by paying high fares or stay put at the station.“We have to travel thrice the usual distance today to avoid being stopped by police. I was also asked to turn back if there are young boys inside,” said driver Kishore. “Customers can’t expect me to pay for all this.”Satyam Patel, a resident of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, came on a one-day business trip and got stuck as his return train was cancelled. Patel not only had to book another ticket through a third-party app, paying thrice the original amount, but was also denied a hotel room for “looking like a Gen Z”.
