MUMBAI, July 7 -- Local communities, rail passenger organisations, gurudwaras and NGOs came to the aid of stranded passengers on long-distance trains, providing food, water, tea and snacks, as relentless overnight rains triggered landslides in the Bhor Ghat and severe water-logging in Palghar district. The 60-km-long Virar-Dahanu stretch on Western Railway (WR) has multiple long-distance trains running on it. The rains led to these being bunched up at stations such as Borivali, Vasai, Palghar, Dahanu, Surat and Gholvad. Several long-distance trains on the Central Railway (CR), meanwhile, were cancelled and diverted. Groups of do-gooders made their way to the stations in the pouring rain. "In the morning, we got a call to provide food to stranded passengers inside long-distance trains. I immediately arranged funds for this," said Ketan Shah, president, Suhana Safar Foundation, who supplied 150-odd vada pavs and teas along with bottled water to trapped passengers at Borivali. In the evening, local communities also made arrangements for passengers to stay at dormitories near the station until train services resumed. Between 9 am and 10 am, another local organisation called Neon Foundation from Palghar took over. Shilpa Jain, a member of the Foundation, said that their biggest challenge was to transport food to the railway station, given that the roads were also flooded. "In the morning, we provided puri bhaji to 750-odd passengers," she said. "By afternoon, we cooked and served poha to 450 passengers, and then evening snacks to 350 passengers." Palghar district was one of the most badly rain-affected regions. "In just two to three hours, it received a massive 300 mm of rain," said a WR official. "Water had accumulated on the tracks, and the water channels were overflowing. Even Nallasopara was completely flooded, and hence the water was unable to drain out. This is why trains were stranded at stretches while some ran at speed restrictions." At Dahanu, there were more stranded trains. Rakesh Kherodiya and his local support group mobilised local restaurants and social organisations. "Some sent tempos of bottled water, and some hotels opened their kitchens to prepare basic food packets, which we distributed to passengers," he said. At Surat station, members of the Guru Teg Bahadur Gurudwara arranged khichdi and dal-rice meals for nearly 3,000 stranded passengers throughout the day. CR too was rained out. The Bhor Ghat region received over 600 mm of rainfall on Sunday, after nearly 300 mm the previous day. The downpour continued on Monday morning, with another 160 mm of rainfall recorded within the first four hours, creating extremely hazardous conditions in the hilly terrain. "The first landslide was reported near Thakurwadi, followed by another one between Monkey Hill and Khandala in the Lonavala-Karjat section," said a CR official. Stationary watchmen were deployed at all vulnerable locations in the ghat section. As a result, no train entered the affected stretch after the landslides, and there were no injuries to passengers. The landslides forced Central Railway to suspend traffic through the ghat section, severely affecting train movement on the Mumbai-Pune route. Till Monday night, 17 trains had been cancelled, including several Mumbai-Pune intercity services, while 31 trains were diverted. The disruption also affected several long-distance trains heading towards destinations such as Pune, Solapur, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, leaving passengers stranded. The Karjat-Lonavala section was partially opened by Monday evening after remaining shut for eight to 10 hours. Two hundred labourers have been deployed in the ghat section for restoration and 200 more are being mobilised at the Karjat-Lonavala section....