Bhubaneswar, March 14: The Bhubaneswar railway station is all set to don a state-of-the-art look, but smaller stations in its vicinity lack even the most basic amenities.

A reality check by The Telegraph at Vani Vihar, Mancheswar and Lingaraj Temple Road railway stations revealed some startling facts.

The Vani Vihar public halt, frequented by college students, does not have a running water kiosk as the taps have been lying defunct for long. Passengers have to run to roadside eateries to get packaged drinking water. The station’s only tubewell has also been lying defunct. Also, there are no toilets at the station. With only two small sheds at the station, passengers find it hard to get respite from the scorching heat here during the summer. A damaged boundary wall of the station has let stray animals and even bicycle riders find their way into it.

“The authorities must make arrangements for drinking water here,” said Sudhansu Mohapatra, a student. He also said it was very difficult for the commuters to look for water at roadside eateries.

Mancheswar railway station, too, lacks important facilities. The two toilets under construction at both ends of the station have not yet been made usable. Most of the benches are also broken and need immediate repair. Though the place, unlike Vani Vihar, has running water taps, it needs one more footbridge.

“Mancheswar is one of the oldest railway stations of the city. But, lack of care has turned it into a den of goons,” said Manju Pradhan, an employee with a private organisation who takes a train to Cuttack daily from the station.

Things are not much different at the Lingaraj Temple Road passenger halt either. The two toilets at this station are of little use to the passengers as they remain closed most of the time for reasons best known to the officials. No official was present when this correspondent visited the halt today. The passengers present at the station complained of lack of facilities. They said hardly one or two drinking water taps were working there. Passengers also alleged that they had to risk their lives by stepping up on a temporary iron structure to reach the platform. A footbridge at the station has been under construction for a long time. There is no boundary wall around the station.

“The authorities must complete the construction of the overbridge to ensure the safety of people who have to otherwise reach the platforms by crossing the railway tracks,” said Narottam Samal, a daily commuter.

However, a railway official said the halt was not getting attention as it did not attract many passengers. “We also have a plan to renovate these stations,” said a senior official of the East Coast Railway.