FOB by day, bar by night

Commuters have demanded provision of adequate lighting at this facility in the Pazhavanthangal railway station.

April 25, 2015 06:00 pm | Updated 06:00 pm IST

Foot over bridge at Palavanthangal railway station. Photo G. Krishnaswamy.

Foot over bridge at Palavanthangal railway station. Photo G. Krishnaswamy.

Commuters using the Pazhavanthangal railway station have requested the State Highways Department and the Southern Railway to ensure adequate lighting at the foot over bridge there.

Lack of a sufficient lights has emboldened tipplers to use the FOB as a bar. There is a Tasmac outlet on the Railway Station Road.

Locals and commuters say the tipplers purchase liquor and snacks from the wine shop and proceed to have a drinking session, sitting on the steps of the FOB. “This problem usually sets in after 9 p.m., when a huge number of tipplers can be seen occupying most of the FOB. They litter the place with leftovers. They relieve themselves on the FOB. They fight with each other. They pass lewd comments at women commuters,” says V. Venkatasubramanian, a resident of Lakshmi Nagar, Nanganallur.

“The stench is unbearable and people using the Station Road are helpless,” says S. Sumathi, a resident of Pazhavanthangal.

As Pazhavanthangal and Nanganallur lack proper bus connectivity to other parts of the city, most of the residents use the suburban Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs) to reach their destinations.

“As we are not able to use this FOB, we use the Pazhavanthangal pedestrian-vehicular subway,” he adds. This vehicular-pedestrian subway is narrow and is populated with rag pickers, beggars and anti-social elements.

“I am scared of taking the FOB and the subway at night,” says S. John Anderson, an IT professional.

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