Samba railway station lacks basic amenities

Vishal Jasrotia

Samba, May 18

Lack of basic amenities at the Samba railway station for the past several years continues to be a cause inconvenience for the passengers, forcing them to demand early restoration of facilities like drinking water and security at the station.

“It is a village-level station for a city like Samba, which is a big industrial hub of the state. It lacks basic amenities such as drinking water, toilets, waiting complex and most importantly the transportation,” said Kamal Kumar, a local resident.

“There are no toilets for the passengers waiting at the railway station. The only toilet at the station has been locked. Although tall promises had been made by the railway authorities nothing has improved on the ground,” Kamal Kumar lamented.

“The station does not have sufficient benches for passengers and there is no proper place where one can rest. Moreover, there is no canteen or any food service on the premises, causing problems to passengers arriving late at night,” said Vinod Kumar, a frequent traveller.

As far as the security is concerned, there are no CCTV cameras at the railway station. A metal detector installed at the entrance lies defunct, he said.

“There is no bus service available to and from the railway station located in the Kalibari village on the outskirts of the town. The nearest point to board a bus is about 4 kilometres away. In the absence of bus service, the passengers have to either walk a mile or pay a hefty amount for the auto-rickshaws,” said Krishan Chand, sarpanch of Kalibari village.

“We have brought the issue to the notice of the authorities. The work to raise and extend the platform and other facilities has been under consideration and based on funds availability, the works will be taken up soon,” said Vijay Kumar, a seniorrailway official.