Guntur railway station lacks amenities

GUNTUR: The Guntur railway station lags behind in basic amenities and people are seeking measures to turn it into a model railway station. The railway department announced ranks to railway stations in which Guntur got 310th rank. As many as 25,000 people travel from Guntur per day and nearly 110 trains, including passenger and express trains pass through Guntur per day. The people are seeking betterment of basic amenities and keeping Guntur railway station clean and hygienic.

The railway department collected opinion from the public about facilities and amenities under Swachh Rail-Swachh Abhiyaan. The railway department, after reviewing the reports of Swachh Rail, officials announced ranks to the railway stations. The Guntur railway station got 310th rank and Tenali got 312th rank. Interestingly, Chirala railway station got 43rd rank and Ongole railway station 187th rank.

The railway department selected Guntur as a model railway station, but there are allegations that there is no trace of development to make it a model railway station. Rail commuters G. Veerabhadram and others said that already the day temperature is touching 47 o Celsius at Guntur and drinking water is supplied occasionally from water taps but is not drinkable as it is very hot. They said that there is shortage of chairs and benches on the platforms for the commuters troubling old-age commuters.

Railway Users Welfare Association president A. Varaprasad Yadav lamented that sanitation is very poor on the platforms and absence of waiting hall is forcing the public to rest on the ground. He said that Guntur is the only railway station with a subway to reach the seven platforms but lift is available to only platform-1, which is troubling the commuters to reach the other platforms through stairs. Hence, lifts should be installed for all the platforms. He said that Tenali and other small stations have an escalator facility, but the same was absent in the famous commercial Guntur railway station.

Mr Yadav asserted on the need for the installation of escalators and demanded betterment of basic amenities to get top rank by turning it into a real model railway station.