Develop Malleswaram railway station: residents

Develop Malleswaram railway station: residents

Staff Reporter

Authorities urged to install electronic display board

Plea to extend platforms both ways

BANGALORE: Demanding development of Malleswaram Railway Station, members of the Malleswaram, Rajajinagar and Yeshwanthpur units of Jagrutha Nagarikara Sanghatane on Monday staged a protest demonstration in front of the station.

They raised slogans against the South Western Railway for ignoring the Malleswaram station, which is just a few kilometres away from the City Railway Station.

Addressing the residents and members, Prakash Urs, convenor of the sanghatane’s Yeshwanthpur unit, urged the authorities to install a proper electronic display board to show train names, number, arrivals/departures and platforms and make clear announcements.

Narrating the problems faced by people, who board trains from Malleswaram, Mr. Urs said that all trains passing through this station should halt for a sufficient duration to ensure safe boarding and alighting. The trains stop only for a minute, he said.

Another member, Sobha. S. said as there was no electronic display board to show the arrival of trains on various platforms. “Because of this, passengers run helter-skelter with their luggage at the last moment to catch the right train. In April, an elderly person was killed while trying to cross the tracks. Several other major accidents have also taken place because of this confusion,” she said.

Though the Railway Ministry had set aside Rs. 834 crore this year for modernisation of railway stations, there is hardly any progress, she said.

The other demands include extension of the platforms both ways to accommodate the entire length of the train and providing shelter to passengers, provision of drinking water, toilet, lighting and other facilities and a separate ticket counter on Platform Number 2 (on the Gayatrinagar side). That apart, all express trains passing through this station should stop there for the convenience of passengers, she added.

The members then met Deepak Chabra, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, and submitted a memorandum.