PMC understaffed for Covid check on passengers coming in at Pune railway station

PUNE To stop the spread of Covid-19 the district administration has made it mandatory to check the “Covid negative” report of all passengers in to Pune by train from outside

PUNE To stop the spread of Covid-19 the district administration has made it mandatory to check the “Covid negative” report of all passengers in to Pune by train from outside.

Migrant workers being thermal screened at the railway station. (FILE PHOTO)

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) with the help of the Pune railway division, have started thermal scanning passengers, and if required, rapid antigen tests of passengers are done at the Pune railway station.

However, over the past last two weeks, passenger traffic at the Pune railway station has increased dramatically. For better movement of passengers, entry to the station premises is from the front end of the railway station.

Staff deployed by the civic body is not enough for the large number of passengers coming in. A maximum of five PMC staffers are on duty to check hundreds of passengers.

Harsha Shah, president, Railway Pravasi Group, said, “Passengers coming in from outside the state is huge and practically, it is not possible to check each and every one. PMC health department needs to increase staff deployed for checking exit at the station premises.”

The exit gate for all the incoming passengers is from the Raja Bahadur Mill road gate, using the newly built foot overbridge (FOB). Passengers are checked on this FOB by staff from the PMC health department.

“We are checking passengers coming in from other states to Pune. We are checking the RTPCR test reports of passengers. Those passengers who do not have the reports have to undergo a rapid antigen test at the station. Each and every passenger’s contact details are with us,” said Chandrakant Walemad, a PMC health department official.

Manoj Jhawar, Pune railway division spokesperson said, “Pune railway division is always prepared to help the civic administration. All needed help and support is provided to them, whether for thermal checking or Covid test reports.”