Ludhiana: Dhandari Railway Station lacks amenities as passenger footfall goes up

The Dhandari Kalan Railway Station is located around 10 km away from the main railway station in Ludhiana which is undergoing major redevelopment

Even as footfall at the Dhandari railway station increased after trains were shifted here due to the ongoing redevelopment work at the Ludhiana train station, the terminus lacks basic amenities, including clean water, restrooms, sheds, and sitting areas, causing major inconvenience to passengers.

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The Dhandari Kalan railway station is located around 10 km away from the main railway station which is undergoing major redevelopment. As the existing structure of the railway station will be demolished, trains have been shifted to the Dhandari Kalan.

The station lacks basic facilities to cater to the rise in passenger footfall. Earlier, only selected trains would stop at the station for only two to three minutes. Currently, the station lies in a dilapidated state and railway authorities said that a proposal is being prepared to upgrade the station.

Passengers who went to the Dhandari station to board trains were disappointed to see its sorry state.

Sumit Kohli, a resident of Kailash Nagar, said, “I visited the station on Friday to board the Karambhoomi express. The construction work is going on platform no 2/3 of the railway station with no facilities for the passengers to sit.”

He said that passengers, including senior citizens and children, had to wait in the scorching heat.

Another resident, Vinod, said that most of the migrants who board trains arrive early at the station with their families and due to lack of proper transportation facilities, they are forced to shell more money to reach the station.

Station scores poor on sanitation

The station is devoid of basic facilities, such as clean water and washrooms. Apart from this, there are no panels to display train timings or other technical gadgets.

The station has no boundary wall as it is located outside the city, raising concern about passengers’ safety.

When asked about the inconvenience to the passengers, Station superintendent at Dhandari Kalan, Ajay Sahni said, “The proposal for upgradation is being prepared by the higher officials and the situation will improve in the coming days.”

He said that railway authorities are trying to provide the best for the passengers and new booking counters have been created at the station.

In the first phase, as many as 5 trains have been shifted to Dhandari Kalan railway station from June 15, including Jannayak Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Karambhoomi Express, Darbhanga Antyodya Express.

The trains which will be shifted in the second phase from June 20 onwards are Amritsar-Indore, Amritsar-Saharsa, Amritsar-New Delhi (12498), Amritsar-New Delhi (12460), Amritsar-Jaynagar (14650), Amritsar-Jaynagar (14674).

GRP to increase force

Government Railway police officials said that the department will shift more police personnel from the Ludhiana railway station to increase the staff deployed at Dhandari. Patrolling and security at the station will be heightened, said the officials.