4 months ago
1
Hundreds of office-goers, students and traders beryllium connected suburban bid services astatine Vandalur railway presumption each day. With predominant EMU and MEMU services operated by Southern Railway betwixt Chengalpattu and Chennai Beach, and the occasional halts by explicit trains, the presumption has seen a dependable emergence successful footfall successful caller years.
A large grievance flagged by commuters is the closure of a nationalist toilet connected the level adjacent to the GST Road entrance. Though neatly constructed for rider use, the installation remains locked and retired of service, causing hardship for women and elderly, during highest hours.
A Railways worker claimed she was forced to transverse 4 platforms utilizing the overbridge to conscionable entree a toilet. “It becomes peculiarly hard for women during unreserved hour,” she said.
Railway officials said the toilet was closed due to the fact that of misuse by miscreants and concerns implicit anti-social activities.
Commuters pointed retired that monitoring the installation should beryllium the work of enforcement agencies. “Locking a toilet meant for passengers cannot beryllium the solution,” said a section activist.
The deficiency of effectual information monitoring is different large concern. Commuters allege that the unfastened onshore adjacent to the presumption has go a hotspot for anti-social activities, particularly aft dark.
“People successful an inebriated authorities often stitchery there. There person been complaints ranging from ganja peddling and theft to harassment,” said an activistic from Vandalur. According to him, miscreants often evade constabulary patrols by slipping onto the tracks, exploiting jurisdictional gaps betwixt the constabulary and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
Passengers besides kick astir the deficiency of drinking h2o taps and irregular garbage clearance connected immoderate platforms. These issues, they said, further diminish the commuting acquisition astatine a engaged suburban station. Railway officials said that enactment to instal lifts astatine the presumption is nether mode to amended accessibility for elder citizens and persons with disabilities.
New parking facility
Recently, the Railways leased retired onshore connected the GST Road for a backstage two-wheeler parking installation that opened successful December. Earlier, commuters approaching from the eastbound broadside were forced to instrumentality a agelong detour to entree parking connected the occidental side, often losing astatine slightest 20 minutes during highest hours.
The parking gait tin accommodate implicit 500 vehicles astatine subsidised rates of ₹10 for cycles and ₹15 for two-wheelers for 24 hours, isolated from monthly passes.
