What is the real feel longevity of a multi-crore project? Roughly, two months in Jharkhand.
Hazaribagh station, which was proposed soon after Independence but inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi only on February 20 as part of a Rs 3,000-crore rail link, is anything but passenger-friendly under its polished exterior.
There are no seating arrangements on the eight platforms at the station, which currently host 400 passengers every day; the general and second class waiting rooms remain under lock and key most of the time; a public address system was never launched; drinking water kiosks are conspicuous by their absence; dank toilets kick up stink; and the station sports a either damp or dusty look 24x7. Also, a portion of the poorly built platform No. 1 caved in recently.
According to station insiders, the 79km Hazaribagh-Koderma line - completed as part of the 200km Ranchi-Hazaribagh-Koderma railway link - has raked in revenue of Rs 6 lakh in the past two months.
"Not a penny seems to have been spent on upkeep of the new station. When there was heavy rain last month, water was seeping down columns. Now, in this sweltering condition, passengers have no water to drink. There are sheds on platforms, but the elderly and people with hindered mobility have a tough time waiting for trains because there are no seating arrangements. Sometimes it seems we were better off earlier when we went to Koderma (45km away) to catch a train," rued Mukul Verma, a resident of Kumhartoli Mohalla in the town and a frequent traveller.
Subodh Kumar Sahay, a resident of Boddom Bazar Mohalla and waiting to catch a train to Koderma on Tuesday afternoon, echoed Verma. "Our train has been delayed to 5pm. It is difficult for us to wait here without water and with the toilets being dirty. It is not very economical to keep buying bottles of water from the platform stalls," he said.
Anjani Kumar, another passenger, complained that there were no announcements on trains. "Till the last moment, you have no clue on which platform your train is coming. Is it possible for everyone to run around with luggage?"
Assistant stationmaster Bahadur Prasad conceded the dearth of passenger amenities and said they had sought help from Dhanbad railway division.
"We are grappling with manpower crunch. Posts of grade-IV employees like sweepers are lying vacant. We also don't have adequate number of signalmen. Water does seep through the walls and we don't know how to tackle the problem in monsoon. We have informed higher authorities," Prasad said.
Stationmaster Arvind Lal claimed he often took up the broom to clean his own chamber. He seconded his junior on the manpower issue and said they had moved higher authorities for help.
Do you think the station will ever be Hazaribagh's pride? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
