The use of old coaches, poor maintenance and malfunctioning of AC on trains, originating from Visakhapatnam, has once again come to the fore.
The AC on train No. 18518 Visakhapatnam – Korba express, which left Visakhapatnam on Saturday, was ineffective but no one lodged any complaint. In the return direction, 18517 Korba – Visakhapatnam, which arrived in Visakhapatnam on Monday, was detained by irate passengers of the II AC coach for about 30 minutes at Bilaspur.
The railway authorities tried to fill the gas but it’s learnt that passengers were told that the compressor was burnt and the problem could not be rectified. The AC passengers were not even given refund for failure of the AC, according to a passenger, who travelled by that train.
The coach was said to be over 20 years old. Similarly, the ceiling of the 12862 Nizamuddin – Visakhapatnam was very dirty and was not cleaned, said another man, who travelled by that train.
On the positive side, the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad Godavari Express is catching the attention of passengers for sporting a clean and tidy look. Over 50 per cent of the compartments have been replaced with 2017 coaches.
The floor, lighting, washbasins, taps and mirrors in the washroom are very clean and tidy. “The only shortcoming was the space was a bit crammed in the toilet but we have no complaint as the new ambience is great,” say passengers, who travelled by that train.
The plight of lactating mothers, travelling long distances by buses, having to feed their babies at bus stations is inexplicable. The crowded bus stations of AP State Road Transport Corporation (APS RTC), including those in major cities such as Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati, do not have separate rooms for women to breastfeed their infants.
This startling disclosure was made by RTC officials in response to an RTI query by Palamangalam Vinodh, law student of Andhra University. The authorities admitted that there were no breastfeeding rooms at RTC bus stations in Andhra Pradesh.
They, however, noted that breastfeeding cubicles would be established at PNBS/Vijayawada, NTR Bus Station/Guntur and CBS/Tirupathi on the model of those in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Vinodh sought that breastfeeding cubicles should also be set up at other bus stations in the State.
B. Madhu Gopal
