Panic station! No lighting, no PA, no security, no...

Panic station! No lighting, no PA, no security, no...
Deccan herald

It’s a scene you’d more easily associate with a bus-stand. But whenever a train pulls into the Malleswaram railway station, staff come out with flags, hollering out the name of the train and ‘appealing’ to passengers to board. And when two trains chug in at the same time, all hell breaks loose. You guessed right, there is no public address system (PA) at this station!

As with the non-existent PA, so with most other facilities. The station with a daily passenger inflow of around 2,000 and 11 pairs of trains, including Hampi Express, having a stop here, has no proper security, onward transport facility for passengers and even no lighting at night.

Passengers headed for Vijayanagar, Rajajinagar, Malleswaram, Gayatri Nagar and surrounding areas get down at the station. Buses towards the centre of the City or towards Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar and nearby areas, are available at Malleswaram Circle, but that’s a good half km away.


But no matter, there are the ubiquitous autorickshaws waiting for you at the station entrance. However, compared with other stations, complaints of harassment by autodrivers are fewer.

Station officials say preparations to set up pre-paid auto counter are being made. A booth, set up a week or so ago, is yet to start functioning.

No security, lighting

Recently, a chain snatch in broad daylight was reported from the station. Eight months ago, a youth was robbed of a cell phone on the station premises. Even then the Railway Department did not think fit to post security personnel at the station.

Even during night -- when four trains, including Hampi Express, make a halt-- you’d be looking for any security personnel in vain. Even at the reservation counter, which collects around Rs 6 lakh in cash a day, there is no one to keep an eye on potential mischief makers.

With no PA and no lights, passengers even find it difficult to identify train numbers at night. When Deccan Herald brought this to Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Mangal’s notice, he expressed ‘surprise’.

“Security personnel will be posted soon and the Railway’s electricity wing alerted to fix the lighting problem,” he assured.

Overbridge

A pedestrian overbridge at the station has been more useful to the general public of Malleswaram than passengers. Passengers wanting to pass to other platforms need to exit from the station and then climb up the bridge.

For aged people, it is quite an ordeal. Mr Santhanam, Chief Reservation Officer, remembers that one month ago a train had run over a man while he was crossing the track.

Asked what is being done to get over this problem, Mr Mangal says: “Normally, only one foot overbridge is constructed at small stations like Malleswaram. However, we’ve decided to take up development of the station in the next financial year. “ On the absence of PA, he says: “Due to staff shortage, we cannot provide a full-fledged PA facility at present”

FACT FILE

Handles 2,000 passengers a day

Daily 11 pairs of trains pass through

Revenue around Rs 1.29 lakh a month

No public announcement system

No security

No BMTC bus-stand close by

Poor lighting facility

Pre-paid auto counter yet to be set up

HALT FOR EXPRESS TRAINS

“We get many requests from the public, demanding stops for express trains at the station. Yes, if the demand is met, the rush at the Bangalore City station will ease and passengers wanting to reach areas near the station will benefit. But if a train is stopped here, it would take 7-8 minutes more to reach Bangalore City. For that we need Railway Board nod. But, meanwhile, we’ll conduct a study on how many passengers would benefit if express trains are stopped here”.

-- Mr Mahesh Mangal, DRM