BANGALORE: Be it the ringing of bells to indicate the arrival of trains or the long winding paths that at the edge of a platform, railway stations have their own trademarks that send most people down memory lane or leaves them wishing for a long train journey. But the last thing one wants to do at the Yelahanka Railway Station is wait for a train to arrive.Part of the South Western railways, the junction has trains to most parts of Karnataka, Mysore and Tumkur being the two most common destinations. But the commuters are left hanging due to many problems that the junction is plagued with. Be it the lack of drinking water facilities or broken sign boards, the junction is in immediate need for attention from the authorities.Catching a train? Carry waterDespite being one of the major stations of the city, the station lacks the most basic need for survival : Water. Concrete blocks have replaced the water taps here. People from other cities who get off at Bangalore in order to catch another train are the worst affected. Gopal, a commuter said, “I cannot afford the packaged water bottles. I have been waiting here in the sun for about three hours with no water.” At places where the authorities have had the benevolence of providing wash basins, the taps have run dry.Garbage is everywhereThe surroundings of the railway station, has turned into a garbage dumping ground. The use of the surrounding area of the railway station as an urinal, worsens matters multifold. The discarded garbage takes its toll on people who wait long hours for their train.The garbage also draws to it stray dogs, rats and mosquitoes. When it rains, the stench of the garbage and the health hazards it might pose strikes fear in the hearts of the people.Need to use the loo? Get permissionThe station has been equipped with well built toilets. But the flaw in the plan lies in the fact that the toilets lay closed all day and night long. A board on the toilet indicates that the user must go to the office seeking the keys to open the lock. Officials from the railways say that the theft and misuse of the toilets by the locals has led them to locking the premises. But passengers question the whole point of having a toilet if it is closed all the time.Paved with stonesThe entry to the railway station brings with it no sign board, but, a road completely covered with potholes and pebbles. In several areas, the sign board that is suppose to indicate the platform or the part of the station that a passenger is in, has made its way flat onto the ground.Nothing digital hereWhile the rest of Bangalore makes it way into the future with technology, the station lacks basic digital display. A chalk board and painted instructions seem to be the way that passengers are informed of the trains schedule. Timings of the train are sometimes changed, sometimes not. Leading to chaos and confusion on the station.Passengers speakManu, a resident of Yelahanka, remarked that the pathetic state of the station required urgent attention. He said, “The area is a scene depicted from a severely underdeveloped part of India. No toilets or drinking water. Weeds everywhere. The worst part of it all is the fact that its been in the same condition for years and has received a good quota of neglect from the authorities.” Sridevi, a passenger, asserted, “Railway stations are suppose to be the back drop of farewells and reunions. But this one seems to have a long way to go to even achieve the minimal level of development.”Authorities viewThe PRO officer for Bangalore railways, Biswas, said that there were reasons behind the actions of the railways. “The toilets are closed because of the misuse of it by the residents. If they had not, it wouldn’t have been closed down." That may be a justification for the closed washrooms, but there seem to be no answers for the many other problems that the station faces.
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