New benches lie unused as pax forced to sit on platform floors & staircases

Nearly 30 to 40 brand-new benches are lying dumped near the main entrance, still waiting to be unwrapped, instead of being installed on the platforms for the benefit of passengers

In a shocking display of negligence, newly-bought passenger benches are gathering dust, lying dumped near the main entrance even as commuters are forced to sit on staircases and floors of crowded platforms.

The lack of proper seating arrangements has become especially problematic, given the continuous heavy rain lashing the city over the last few days. (HT)

Nearly 30 to 40 brand-new benches are lying dumped near the main entrance, still waiting to be unwrapped, instead of being installed on the platforms for the benefit of passengers. The lack of proper seating arrangements has become especially problematic, given the continuous heavy rain lashing the city over the last few days. With many of the older benches removed from platform number 1 owing to rainwater leaking through the station roof and no alternative seating made available, passengers, including senior citizens, women and children are being forced to sit on wet platform floors or staircases.

Rajiv Deshmukh, a passenger travelling to Lucknow, said, “We can clearly see the new benches lying unused near the entrance. What is the point of buying them if passengers have to sit on floors? The platforms are overcrowded, and elderly people like my father have to stand for hours on end… This is poor planning by the authorities…”

Another passenger, Meena Gaurav, said, “I reached the station with my two children and mother-in-law. There was no place to sit, and the floor was wet because of the rain. When I asked a staff member about benches, he shrugged it off. It was very frustrating to see those benches lying there while we suffered …”

Meanwhile, the railway administration is yet to provide a formal explanation for the delay in installing the new benches.