By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sep 1: Most of the people who boarded the special train (02510 down) that left Guwahati for Bangalore on Saturday were in happy mood and they said they could “hopefully” again lead a normal life in Bangalore.  Around 120 people from Guwahati boarded the special train on Saturday.  The special train to Bangalore was provided by the Assam Government to help people from the northeast return to their places of study or work in southern States after their mass exodus last month over fear of attacks. The train started its journey from the Guwahati railway station at around 2.40 pm and would reach Bangalore on Monday evening. After reaching Bangalore, the train would start its return journey to Guwahati on Tuesday. Although the Saturday’s special train was scheduled for departure at 1.15 pm, it got delayed as the authorities had to add one more compartment to it due to the rush. The train included 18 sleeper-class coaches.  However, many students and employees who boarded the special train complained that the government had done injustice by not allowing them a free journey. “Though it’s a special train, we bought tickets to board it. The government should have given us free passes to board the train,” said Dipak Rabha from Lakhimpur, who was one of the passengers in the special train.  Some of the passengers also complained that besides the students and employees, other general people had also boarded the train. “If it’s a special train, then the people who fled the southern States should have only been accommodated. But other people have also been given tickets to board the train,” said a student who studies in Bangalore.