Days after inspection by CR GM, chaos unfolds at Pune railway station

Chaos erupted at Pune railway station with massive delays and overcrowding, contradicting recent praise from the new Central Railway GM for efficiency.

PUNE: Barely days after newly-appointed general manager (GM) of the Central Railway (CR), Vijay Kumar, conducted an exhaustive inspection of the Pune railway division and appreciated the railway staff for maintaining cleanliness and punctuality and ensuring passenger satisfaction, Saturday evening saw chaos and mismanagement unfolding at Pune railway station, leaving hundreds of passengers in the lurch. The massive delays, overcrowding and confusion over train departures, particularly at platform number 1 – stood in stark contrast to the smooth and efficient image presented during the GM’s inspection on October 15 – raising questions about the reality of these operations and whether the administration had presented an inflated picture of efficiency.

Days after inspection by CR GM, chaos unfolds at Pune railway station

Santosh Mandal, a passenger stranded at the station, said, “Total mismanagement at Pune station platform number 1, no clarity on the departure of train number 12149 which was scheduled to leave at 21.05 pm. The special train number 01453 to Danapur not yet departed, which was scheduled at 20.40 pm. No announcements, no guidance, passengers left confused and standing for hours.”

Another passenger, Ashish Sharma rued, “How can the railway commit such a blunder at Pune railway station during peak Diwali time? Families, elderly passengers, and children struggling to find space. No crowd control, and everyone just trying to figure out what’s happening…”

Hemant Kumar Behera, spokesperson for the Pune railway division, said, “There was a heavy rush of passengers for the last two days, and I, along with senior officials, were deployed at the station to monitor the crowd. But as the crowd was beyond our expectations and a special train got delayed Saturday evening, there was some disturbance in operations. However, we made sure to send passengers in slots as per their train timings to avoid any stampede situation.”