NO FOB, NO DRINKING WATER, BROKEN PASSENGER SHED

NO FOB, NO DRINKING WATER, BROKEN PASSENGER SHED

16-FEB-ENG 12

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------"I am Koilwar station... I was built to meet the needs of the British government. Crossing the Son River was a challenge for the British, so Koilwar station and the Koilwar bridge were built around 1862 to facilitate transportation. Both the bridge and I are of the same age."

When the Koilwar bridge became old, a six-lane bridge was built in its place, but my condition is deteriorating day by day. No attention is paid to my maintenance, causing inconvenience to passengers visiting me.

Danapur Railway Division has many stations, but my condition is the worst. Many of my fellow stations were beautified under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, but I failed to make it to that list. Even today, I struggle with a lack of basic amenities. Three to four thousand passengers begin their journey from here every day. The government receives revenue of 8-10 lakh rupees per month through me, but my facilities are not being taken care of.

There is no drinking water facility on both my platforms. Water taps installed here and there are broken, forcing passengers to wander for drinking water. The biggest problem is the foot overbridge. To get from one platform to another, passengers risk their lives. They are forced to cross the tracks, which has caused numerous accidents, which I cannot bear to see.

The passenger shed has been broken for four months, but it has not been repaired yet. Passengers sit and wait for trains in various places. There is one toilet on each up and down platform, but it does not have a gate. Cleaning is also not done, making my life miserable. People do not want to come here. They are forced to defecate and urinate in the open.

Waiting room in a bad state: While there is a single waiting room with a sheet on each platform, it is just for the name sake. It's becoming hollow beneath the seat on the south side, making it vulnerable to collapse. The passenger sheds near the ticket booking office are broken. But railway officials are not paying attention to this.

I am a station in Bihar surrounded by numerous commercial establishments and hospitals. It also has the only mental hospital, where patients from various districts of Bihar come for treatment for their mental illnesses. The Rapid Action Force headquarters is also nearby. Parev village, famous for its brass utensils, is also located. Gidha is also the industrial area. Despite having so many amenities, no one notices my shortcomings.

Deepak Gupta, a daily commuter, says that the first step should be to remove its flag station status. This is a station that connects three districts. It has connectivity to Bhojpur, Patna, and Chhapra. Passengers going to Varanasi also board trains from here.

"The railways generate considerable revenue from here. Annually, it generates about one crore rupees, but nothing is being provided in the name of facilities. Only passenger and MEMU trains stop here." - Deepak Gupta, Passenger

I'm a station from the British era, but it's surprising that no one knows about my situation. Even the people responsible for my other stations don't recognize me. Whenever I complain to them, they only offer assurances, but my situation remains the same. I don't know how long I will rely on assurances.

"The matter has come to our attention. We'll look into the needs and current availability at the station." It will be fixed." -Avinav Kumar, Senior DCM, Danapur