Trains originating and terminating in Visakhapatnam seem to be in the news for all the wrong reasons. “I travelled by train No.17240 Visakhapatnam-Guntur Simhadri Express from Visakhapatnam on May 26. There was no power in coaches and no one seemed to bother about rectifying the problem,” says Ketha Anil of Seethammapeta, who travelled by that train.
“The train started from station at its scheduled time at 7.20 a.m. The coaches were crowded and the sweltering summer heat added to our woes. I walked through three/four coaches and found that there was no power in those coaches also. Passengers had to continue their journey without power,” Mr. Anil said.
Irate passengers of train No. 18517 Korba – Visakhapatnam express detained the train and reportedly tried to manhandle an electrical engineer and some railway officials at Raipur Station on May 22, after the AC failed in the B 2 coach on May 22.
The batteries of the coach failed and the mechanic and his assistant tried to convince them that there was no point in holding up the train as they would get delayed as the replacement of batteries would take a long time.
When the electrical engineer and other officials arrived, the passengers allegedly tried to manhandle them and the officials retreated.
The mechanic and his assistant finally managed to convince them and drew power from the adjacent coach and the train was allowed to move.
The Korba train finally reached Visakhapatnam after more than an hour’s delay.
The passengers appreciated the mechanic and his assistant for their efforts, which helped them reach Visakhapatnam, without being detained for long at Raipur.
Taxi drivers are fleecing passengers due to the non-availability of pre-paid taxis late in the night at Visakhapatnam International Airport.
“I travelled from Chennai to Vizag by SpiceJet on May 25. Though the flight was scheduled to leave at 7.25 p.m., it left around 9.10 p.m. due to ‘technical problem’. I reached Vizag around 10.20 p.m. and when I went to the pre-paid taxi counter, the policeman was just leaving,” says a passenger from Murali Nagar.
“The policeman said no taxis were available and hence the counter was closed. I went out of the terminal building and found taxi drivers bargaining with some passengers. They demanded ₹400 to drop me at Murali Nagar, which is about 3 km away from the airport,” he says.
B. Madhu Gopal
