Garbage greets visitors at railway station

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 28

Foul smell and garbage continue to greet passengers, especially thousands of pilgrims visiting Jammu and Kashmir, when they step outside the Jammu railway station.

Any positive impression about the city a visitor has evaporates completely at the sight of heaps of garbage that greet them right outside the station. Though the government and Tourism Department projects Jammu as a pilgrim town, but station, one of the busiest in north India, is a perfect symbol of official neglect.

The entire area near the taxi stand is full of heaps of garbage and sometimes it becomes difficult for passengers to walk through the area due to foul smell. Even a small portion of ground in front of the station is being used as a garbage dump, giving an ugly look to the face of the city, visited by lakhs of pilgrims and tourists every year.

The Jammu railway station is one of the 40 model stations in the country, which caters to more than 50 lakh passengers every year, but is not having required facilities. Further, the much-hyped modernisation plan is awaiting approval of the Central Railway Board. “Lack of coordination between the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), Railway authorities and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has made the place safe haven for stray dogs. Shopkeepers and fruit sellers are major contributors for the poor hygiene as they throw away their waste on the road. Even the drains are not covered, which gives an unpleasant look to the entire area,” said an official.

“In the absence of sanitation, passengers also face problems. The authorities should take steps to keep the area clean and impose fine on people who thrown waste in and around the station,” said Adarsh Bali, a government employee, who daily travels to Udhampur.