In a report placed before the Parliament, CAG has taken up the status of railway stations in the country. It has made very depressing observations saying that after visiting numerous railway stations, it has found that most of these not only lack proper sanitation, cleanliness and upkeep but also are devoid of some of the basic facilities without which a railway station cannot do. It is true that owing to large population of our country, mostly of poor people, railway travel offers the cheapest means of communication. Therefore, our railway stations are crowded and unclean. But that does not mean these have not to be cleaned. Railways must increase manpower and keep all stations clean and sanitized.
In particular, we have so many times in these columns discussed the dismal condition of Jammu Railway Station which caters to crores of people from all parts of the country owing to religious pilgrimage. This station is in shambles and is a slur on the railways. Encroachment by all sorts of vendors is on a large scale so much so that the main entry to the station from the main road has been reduced to a few feet in width. The platforms are so much crowded that one cannot believe ones eyes. There are no escalators and no facilities for the old and disabled people. Mini bus and three wheeler operators fleece the passengers because there is no control of traffic police on the taxi fare. One wonders whether any superior railway officer ever has visited the railway station and taken stock of the ground position there.
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