Pax facilities at Pune railway station prove inadequate for summer rush
Passengers forced to sit on platform floors due to inadequate seating arrangements, toilet is closed and battery-operated electric vehicles lie unused at the Pune railway station
PUNE: With summer vacations approaching, Pune railway station is witnessing a heavy rush of passengers however their experience is far from comfortable owing to the lack of basic facilities. Not only are passengers forced to sit on platform floors due to inadequate seating arrangements, toilets too are proving inadequate while battery-operated electric vehicles lie unused at the railway station.
Rajendra Joshi, a 68-year-old passenger travelling to Nagpur, said, “I have been waiting for my train for over two hours, but there is no place to sit. Sitting on the floor is uncomfortable, especially for senior citizens like me.”
To add to the commuters’ woes, public toilets on platform number 1 are closed and passengers, especially those travelling with senior citizens and children, are finding it difficult to manage. “My train got delayed by an hour, and when I tried to use the restroom, I found it locked. This is highly inconvenient, especially for women and children,” complained Meena Sharma, another passenger.
Worse still, the battery-operated electric vehicles meant to assist senior citizens and differently-abled passengers are lying unused at the station. Despite the heavy footfall, these vehicles remain non-operational forcing the elderly and disabled to struggle with their luggage.
As the summer rush intensifies, passengers are demanding immediate measures from railway authorities to tackle these problems. Pune divisional railway manager Rajesh Kumar Verma said, “Pune station has sufficient seating benches – more than the standard norms by the Railway Board. At present, 2744 seats are available at Pune station while 200 more seats have been approved to be set up at Pune station. As per the norms, a minimum 600 seats should be available at Pune station.”
“The toilet on platform 1 is closed due to construction work. The earlier toilet only had a urinal. Now, a new facility is being constructed with urinal and toilet for the Divyang (differently-abled) which will soon be operational. The battery-operated electric cars are not operational for safety reasons,” Verma said.
