All is not well at this station : Vishakhapatnam

Travellers highlight several issues which need to be set right by the railways. A woman travelling by the 3 AC coach in Visakhapatnam – Korba Express got the shock of her life when two large suitcases, which she had secured with a chains, were missing when she woke up at Raipur around 6.30 a.m. on November 15.

Frequent change in the ‘formation’ of originating trains, non-functioning of the coach indication boards and sudden change of platform of originating and terminating trains, are some of the major problems encountered by passengers at Visakhapatnam Railway Station.

Certain conventions are followed in the formation of a train like attaching a few general and few AC coaches in the beginning and the others at the end and the sleeper coaches in a specific order. This regular pattern makes it easy for passengers, especially senior citizens and physically challenged, to know where to stand with their luggage much before the arrival of a train. But, this convention is not being followed at Visakhapatnam Railway Station, complains a frequent traveller.

On November 3, people, who went to receive friends and relatives coming by the Garib Rath express from Secunderabad had to rush along with porters and others from the Platform 8, its regular destination, to Platform 6. On November 8, a family leaving for Mumbai by the Konark Express had to rush from platform 3, its regular platform, to platform 1, carrying luggage and children.

A woman travelling by the 3 AC coach in Visakhapatnam – Korba Express got the shock of her life when two large suitcases, which she had secured with a chains, were missing when she woke up at Raipur around 6.30 a.m. on November 15.

The Telugu NRI woman was carrying valuable equipment said to be costing around Rs.7 lakh. The accused had cut the chains and escaped with the large suitcases. The woman realised that there were many unauthorised passengers in the 3 AC coach and demanded the reservation chart from the TTE. The TTE, who boarded at Raipur, failed to give her the chart and also did not take her complaint. Another passenger objected to the ‘vestibule’, being left open all through the night. The bag of another passenger was also stolen in the 2 AC coach on the same train. The passengers wanted that the changes in the reservation chart made en route should be handed over to the new TTE. 



Source : The Hindu , 18th Nov 2014