Ahmedabad: Relatives and companions bidding farewell to travelers departing from railway stations during the Diwali week won’t have the opportunity to do so. Western Railways has halted the sale of platform tickets for the remaining festive season at Kalupur Junction. The same decision has been implemented at Surat and Vadodara stations.

This move comes in response to an incident at Surat railway station on Saturday, where one person passed away due to a cardiac arrest, and two others were hospitalized amid overcrowding. The influx of migrants returning home for Diwali and the Chhath festival created this unfortunate scenario.

On Saturday, impromptu notices were displayed at the ticket counter in the main building of the Kalupur Ahmedabad railway station. The suspension of platform ticket sales hadn’t occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic.

An official from the RPF mentioned, “Platform ticket sales have temporarily ceased, and we’ve increased security measures at the railway station. We’ve designated one exit as ‘entry only’ and relocated the exit to a distance from the entry to prevent overcrowding. Additionally, we’re organizing orderly queues to avert any mishaps.” It’s been revealed that train schedules have been staggered, and the trains are allocated across various platforms to optimise space and evenly disperse the passengers. This strategy aims to prevent overcrowding at any single point within the station. DeshGujarat