Progress at Bangalore East Station(ary)

Progress at Bangalore East Station(ary)
S Lalitha
There is no public announcement system at the Bangalore East railway station despite 11 Express trains halting here...


Madhananaraya Mudliar Road (M M Road), parallel to the Bangalore East railway station could be mistaken for a vegetable market between 2 pm and 4 pm. Heaps of vegetables from Bangarpet, Malur and Tyakal are offloaded here by vendors who alight here and sell them in bulk to grocers and the public. The vegetables are taken to the autos, tempos and even mini-lorries waiting inside the parking lot of the station’s premises to transport them to different marketplaces.

There is no one to regulate this business. After the group disperses, they do not care to clear up the leftovers inside the station and around creating a shabby atmosphere and causing inconvenience for passengers.

There is a total absence of public conveniences at the station. Officially, the station has bathrooms but as they do not have water and have not been maintained for a long period of time, public dread to use it. “Though the waiting room has decent bathrooms, it is kept under lock and key by the railway staff here making life miserable for commuters, particularly women” complains Vijay.

There is no prepaid auto system. Commuters from other States unfamiliar with the City’s geography are taken for a ‘ride.’ Fleecing by autorickshaw drivers is nothing new to the City but the looting touches staggering levels here, particularly during early mornings.

Six trains halt here between 3.30 am and 6 am. Sources recalled a man who paid a train fare of Rs 180 to travel from Chennai to Bangalore East but paid Rs 200 to reach his house at Whitefield. Giving a list of morning rates, a coolie Harish (name changed) says, “It normal fare is Rs 12 to Maruti Sevanagar but the fare demanded is Rs 60 plus, to Whitefield between Rs 200 and 250 instead of Rs 75, while the fare to Raman Nagar is between 150 and 200 instead of Rs 60....”

Accidents aplenty

There is no public announcement system here despite 11 Express trains halting here. Ten incoming passenger trains and ten outgoing passenger trains too stop over. Accidents are quite common. “At least one death takes place along these tracks every month and between five and ten limb injuries are caused due to trespassing on the tracks. Despite the Foot-Over-Bridge (FOB), public refuse to use it,” a source said. The low height of the two platforms are also to blame. As they are not on level with the train steps, passengers trip and fall on the tracks quite frequently.

The list of `nos’ here is just endless—no ticket collector, no platform ticket vending machine, no security and no one at the counter between 10 and 10.45 every morning. The last is because the lone commercial clerk on duty has to shut office to go to a bank to deposit the previous day’s earnings! The only safety in the station is a sole GRP person who puts in 14 hours duty daily and departs around 8 pm daily.

A source alleges that sex workers reach here during nights and customers come for them. They utilise the FOB for their business, he adds.

Improvements assured

When the problems were elaborated upon to Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Mahesh Mangal, he assured improvements within three to four months. “Rs 30 lakhs has already been sanctioned for the station. Among other things, it will be utilised to raise the level of both the platforms higher and even out the surfaces there. The booking office will also be improved,” he said. Tenders have been invited for the same, he added.

“Another proposal that will require between 30 and 40 lakhs has been sent for approval to the headquarters”, Mangal said.

On the need for a pre-paid auto system, he added that it had to be implemented by the City traffic police.