Far from graduating into an ‘Adarsh’ station, basic problems still dog the gateway to Visakhapatnam city — Duvvada railway station. The ‘satellite station’ serves the needs of nearly 9 lakh people from the industrial areas of the city.
“Though ECoR authorities are w magnanimous enough to provide some amenities such as foot over-bridge, connecting PF 2 and PF 3 to the newly constructed PF 4 after an undue delay, they do not seem to be keen on bringing some of the amenities to use. To add to the woes of passengers coming from PF 4, they have closed the second entry, forcing the incoming and outgoing passengers to jostle, especially during arrival of important trains,” says Y. Sreehari Rao, treasurer of Duvvada Railway Station Users’ Association.
A closed ticket booking office and a non-functional ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) greet passengers at the single entry/exit from PF 4 side.
Lack of staff“We have brought the issues to the notice of the authorities concerned, but they have expressed helplessness on the plea of lack of staff,” says association secretary K. Eswar.
The northern entry (PF 4 side) is convenient for passengers coming by RTC buses to reach the station. The down trains generally come on PF 4 and those alighting or boarding these trains find it convenient to use the northern entry.
No toiletsIn the absence of a ticket booking counter and the non-functional ATVM, the passengers with luggage and children either have to take the foot over-bridge and reach PF 1 or cross the tracks, many a time from underneath parked goods trains, and run the risk of losing their lives to buy the ticket.
“This is not all. The existing ‘pay and use’ toilet on PF 1 is locked most of the time. There are no toilets on platforms 2, 3, and 4 . There is no ‘enquiry counter’ at the ‘B’ Grade station, at which 32 pairs of regular and special trains have been given halts. Out of 106 drinking water taps on PF 1, and 2 & 3, 48 are not functioning. Similarly, 15 on PF 4 are not working and the travails of the passengers can well be imagined with summer fast approaching,” says Mr. Eswar.
No portersThere are no porters at the station. There is no roof to provide shelter and benches for passengers to sit on PF 4. There are no name boards indicating the station name on PF 4.
The association leaders took these issues to the notice of Gajuwaka MLA Chintalapudi Venkataramaiah, who has made several representations to the railway authorities, to no avail.
There was no improvement despite instructions given to the authorities at this station by ECoR General Manager Rajiv Vishnoi during his visit in December, the MLA noted.
