Eighty eight stranded UPSC aspirants from Konkan arrive in special train from Delhi 

As many as 88 students from Konkan division, who were preparing for civil service exams in Delhi, arrived at Kalyan station here in Maharashtra in a special train late Sunday night after being stranded for almost 50 days, officials said.

The UPSC aspirants from Konkan division who reached Kalyan included 42 from Thane, 18 from Mumbai, nine each from Mumbai suburban and Raigad, and five each from Ratnagiri and Palghar, the Thane district administration said in a release on Monday. All the students were screened at the Kalyan station and none showed any symptoms of coronavirus, it said.

The stamp of 'home quarantine' was put on their hands following which some of them left in private vehicles while others were sent in special buses to their native places, the release said. Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan Shrikant Shinde facilitated the return of students from Delhi to their native places.

On Sunday, some students from Maharashtra preparing for civil services exams in Delhi alleged that the railways' mismanagement had inconvenienced them. In a video message, they claimed the railways had operated a train from Delhi to Mumbai but the lack of communication and cleanliness brought about hardships. "Except Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, we got help neither from the Delhi government nor the railways.

Despite being crammed in some coaches, we were not allowed to use the ones that were empty. Our coaches were not connected, so communicating with fellow travelers was not possible," one of the students said. Another UPSC aspirant on board the train said water and food were scarce, despite assurances by railway officials.