At city railway station, hygiene a dream : The Tribune India

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At city railway station, hygiene a dream

CHANDIGARH:Long queues outside ticket windows and tobacco stains along the escalator welcome visitors at the Chandigarh Railway Station, which has slipped from the sixth slot to the 48th in the Swachh Rail Survey, a part of the Swachh Survekshan-2017.

At city railway station, hygiene a dream

A dusty entrance from the Panchkula side.



Mohit Khanna 

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 18 

Long queues outside ticket windows and tobacco stains along the escalator welcome visitors at the Chandigarh Railway Station, which has slipped from the sixth slot to the 48th in the Swachh Rail Survey, a part of the Swachh Survekshan-2017.

One can see empty plastic bottles, glasses and leftovers strewn around the entrance of the railway station. Passengers don’t mind sleeping, eating on the floor in the absence of proper seating arrangement. 

Those who visit the railway station keep complaining about poor hygiene. The authorities are not to be solely blamed for the state of affairs as passengers too should put in their bit to keep the place clean. 

“What is expected of the Railways? Garbage is collected, floors are mopped, dust bins are emptied, still if the people litter the place what can be done,” said Rohit, a traveller. 

He said some passengers treated the railway station as a garbage bin where they could spit and throw leftover. 

As penalty is not imposed on those littering the station, visitors do not think even once before throwing waste on platforms.

Kuldeep Singh, an RPF officer, said corners of the railway station had turned red due to tobacco stains. 

“What is the use of having escalators and better infrastructure when passengers don’t bother to maintain these,” asked Kuldeep. He added that the work on the installation of two elevators was in progress at the railway station. 

Toilets at the railway station stink. Though they are equipped with the sensor system, only a few work properly. 

The parameters adopted for conducting the survey included evaluation of cleanliness in parking lots, main entry area, main platform and the waiting room.

Passengers stranded in long queues

As per information, Rs 4.75 crore was spent on the construction of the new ticket counter. Still, long queues are spotted there. “The new ticket counter is like a torture centre where people are made to stand for hours. No effort has been made to increase the number of the ticket counters. What was the need to spend crores of rupees when the situation is still the same,” said one of the railway employees. 

He went on to add that the railway station had become a den of corruption. New projects were initiated in the name of development, but nothing was being done to get rid of the long queues. 

“If a person boards a train without a ticket and gets caught, he will certainly try to bribe the ticket checker,”  said another employee. 

What Station Superintendent says 

On the slip in rank in the cleanliness survey, Station Superintendent TP Singh said, “I cannot comment on the issue. Those who conducted the survey are the right people to talk to.” 

When asked about the measures being undertaken by the railway authorities regarding cleanliness, Singh said, “Visit the station once and see it for yourself.”

Speaking out

The railway authorities should place more garbage bins and impose heavy fine on those littering the railway station. Awareness should be created among passengers so that cleanliness is maintained. — Varun, a resident of Panchkula

The Chandigarh railway station is far better than others. I have seen sweepers cleaning the floor.  I feel passengers too should pitch in to keep the station clean. Many a time, I have seen people spitting and throwing garbage on platforms. — Rajveer Singh, a resident of Mandi Dabwali

The authorities should also focus on maintaining parking lots, which are strewn with garbage, dry leaves.  Beggars and vendors occupy pavements and inconvenience visitors. — Karandeep, a resident of Mohali

It is the most beautiful railway station, indeed.  But getting a ticket is quite taxing. The railway authorities should add more counters for the convenience of passengers. — Avtar Singh, a resident of Amritsar

For me, it is among the cleanest railway stations of the region. If you want to witness hell, pay a visit to the Ludhiana railway station. The Railways has provided so many facilities here. It is passengers duty to keep the railway station clean.  — Shamsher Singh, a resident of Ludhiana

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