AGRA: Two months ago, operations of the Vande Bharat train from Bhopal to Delhi via Agra commenced with a grand ceremony.

However in recent incidents of stone pelting, at least 30 window panes and door glass have been damaged.

So far, 16 of these window panes have been replaced, and 14 have been temporarily fixed using tape and adhesive.

The appearance of cracks on the window panes has caused inconvenience to passengers and raised concerns about their safety.

Bhopal division railway officials have claimed that a majority of the stone pelting incidents took place on the route from Delhi to Agra.

But the Agra division railway officials claimed no such incidents have been reported.

According to rail officials, the carriage and wagon depot workers in Bhopal had complained to authorities about repeated damage caused to window panes and glass on doors of the Bhopal-Delhi train.

"In the past one month, 16 windowpanes and door glass have been replaced.

Now, we do not have the stock for replacement.

Temporary arrangements have been made to fix the damaged parts.

It might take a few weeks.

Higher authorities have been informed about the stone pelting issue.

As the train moves at a speed of 160km per hour, such damage may result in passengers getting hurt," said a rail official involved in maintenance work.

On Friday, when the train reached Agra, five coaches, including one executive class and five chair cars, had damaged windowpanes and door glass.

The cracked part was covered with duct and transparent taping.

And cracks were fixed with adhesive.

One of the passengers, Vimal Mohan, said, "It is disheartening...

The damaged part can fall any moment as the train moves at a high speed.

The railways should rectify this safety issue in a time-bound manner."Public relations officer of the Bhopal railway division, Subedar Singh, said on Friday, "Most of the stone pelting incidents on Vande Bharat have occurred on the route from Agra to Delhi.

Out of the 30 damaged windowpanes and door glass, 16 have been replaced.

Soon, the remaining 14 will be replaced.

In the past, other trains have incurred similar damages." Public relations officer of the Agra railway division, Prashasti Srivastava, however, said, "No incident of stone pelting on Vande Bharat has been reported in Agra division.

We have not received any complaint so far." On April 1, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vande Bharat express train service between Rani Kamlapati railway station in Madhya Pradesh and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.

The train covers 709 km in seven hours and 50 minutes and operates six-day a week barring Saturday.WatchVande Bharat Train: Recent stone pelting incidents damage 30 window panes