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JAMMU, INDIA, May 23, 2004: Thousands of pilgrims go to Vaishno Devi via Jammu every year during the summer months. For thousands of pilgrims, Jammu railway station has become a makeshift home, at least till they get railway reservations. And since it is vacation time, the crowds are growing each day. “No one is listening to us. We have been trying hard to get tickets but they have just been shuffling us around to different counters and trying to get rid of us like we are beggars,” says Santosh, a pilgrim. With thousands of passengers on the waiting list, agents (seems to mean what in the West are called “scalpers,” selling tickets at a high price) are doing brisk business. Passengers complain that due to the chaos they have no choice but to deal with the agents. “There are huge crowds here and a great deal of chaos. Immediate action should be taken to sort out the mess,” says Arvind Mahajan, another pilgrim. Ten thousand passengers make their journey to Jammu and Vaishno Devi every day. Now a special train has also been pressed into service but still on an average, four thousand passengers remain stranded every day. And it seems if it will continue till the vacation time is over.

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