Hyderabad: Given that most railway stations in the city were constructed when the population was less, and so was the number of passengers in proportionate terms, passengers are now seeking working amenities that are in a good condition.
There is an element of urgency as Hyderabad is a popular destination for trade and tourism. The railways have not upgraded quickly enough.
At Secunderabad station, 229 trains and special, on an average, carry around two lakh passengers on any given day. The inadequacies across platforms become distinct when visitors come to see off or receive travellers. Platform 10, the new hotspot, does not have sufficient waiting rooms. The prepaid waiting rooms on Platforms 1 and 10 have better toilets but the general waiting room washrooms make for a sickening sight.
One passenger at the waiting hall rued that their cries for better amenities fall on deaf ears as the authorities never rise to the occasion.
Now that redevelopment works are underway at the entrance, Platform 10 has become congested. It takes several minutes to reach the alighting point.
The day’s first train at Hyderabad station, the Sirpur Kagaznagar Express starts at 4.50 am, while Telangana Express starts at 6 am. Ironically, one of the oldest stations, the Hyderabad station has six platforms, from where it operates 20 trains. Many passengers from the smaller towns of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra come here to catch long distance trains. A shelter or a dormitory is needed to cater to this rush.
A bigger worry for families coming for the passengers is that they find no place to park their vehicles. The parking space of the railway station is occupied by private tourist buses.
The Hyderabad station’s reservation counter is terribly understaffed. There are 13 reservation counters of which five are open for business. Of these five, one is assigned to the chief reservation officer, where tickets are not issued, while one counter is dedicated for bulk bookings.
There are long queues at the three ‘functional’ reservation counters and one has to wait for one hour to complete the process as the ticketing clerk takes between seven and 10 minutes to attend to one person.
Habeeb Ahmad, who was in the queue on Monday afternoon, explained the hardship of taking tickets. “There are so many counters. The railway should activate the remaining counters too, as people are facing a tough time. They also have to install a monitor screen towards the customer side for a faster service,” he said.
At the Kacheguda station, a general ticket counter on the other side of the station entrance is needed. There are five platforms and No. 5 is a PRS counter. But there is no general ticket counter, lamented some passengers. This is making it particularly tough for those coming from the Golnaka side, which leads to Platform 5.
To take a general ticket they have to rush all the way to platform 1. Even as they are in a hurry, the commercial staff stops and asks them for a valid ticket. Despite them telling that they are going to platform 1 for buying a ticket, they are fined for moving around inside the station without even a platform ticket, said a victim.
