N Delhi station gets makeover at the cost of passengers

Though Railway officials maintain that this is just “a brief period of inconvenience” that would soon give way to a swanky station by next month,the station master’s office continues to be inundated with complaints from irate passengers.

The AC waiting halls on platform No 1 are in a particularly bad state,with water dripping from the ceiling and 10 of the 12 air-conditioners not working — leaving transit passengers with no option but to put up with the dingy atmosphere.

During visits over the past week,Newsline had found that no steps were being taken to repair the air-conditioners. However,following incessant complaints from passengers,electricians were asked to fix a few of the air-conditioners.

The problem,nevertheless,continues to persist.

Contributing to the passengers’ discomfort are leaks in the ceiling of the upper class waiting hall,which result in messy waiting hall floors and contribute to the damp atmosphere.

In response,Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Ashwani Lohani told Newsline,“We are in the process of revamping the station,and the inconvenience will only be till we have completed work. From next month onwards,the station will have a new swanky look.”

“We have ordered for 3-tonne cassette-type air-conditioners,which will be installed on the roofs by the end of this month. The old air-conditioners have been giving trouble so we have decided to get new ones,which should be in place soon,” he added. The New Delhi Railway Station,which caters to five lakh passengers per day,has 294 trains running through 16 platforms.

While seven floor cleaning and polishing machines were brought in over the last few months,most of them have now been safely stashed away. However,the DRM said this was done in view of the ongoing renovation work at the station.

“Many of the platforms are being resurfaced,and there is construction work going on across the station. There is no point in using the machines now. Once the renovation work is complete,we will put the machines back in use,” Lohani said.

Passengers at the station also complain about incorrect information being provided through display boards. As a result,people waiting on platforms have to rush towards their respective coaches at the last moment,resulting in chaos. Sometimes,power outages also occur on some platforms — plunging them into darkness and adding to the already-prevalent confusion.

Speaking on the matter,a Railway spokesperson said that glitches in the coach display boards are being looked into,and they would soon be incorporated into the new centralised information system.

Around Rs 15 crore has been allocated to upgrade the station for the Commonwealth Games.

On the cards are a new circulating area for vehicles heading towards Paharganj,an upgraded waiting hall with eateries and display boards providing real-time information on train movement,new stainless steel furniture,pillars,staircases and resurfaced platforms,Railway officials said.