A day after Ram Mandir station was inaugurated on the Western Railway's suburban network, passengers today alleged that there were several flaws in its construction and it lacks facilities, due to which commuters will have to face difficulties.
"Although this much-awaited station was opened yesterday, its construction work has not been carried out in a proper manner," M U Darvesh, a member of Suburban Railway Users Consultative Committee (SRUCC), said.
"Passengers have to enter the premises ticket-less as the ticket window has been placed on the first floor. Access road to the station has not been repaired, drinking water facility is missing and the shade on platform no. 2 is incomplete. No fans and clock have been installed on any of the four platforms. Besides, no escalator has been put in place," he said.
Darvesh has also pointed out these things in a letter he handed over to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
He said the railway administration needs to look into the issue and undertake immediate corrective steps.
Another activist, Suleman Bhimani, alleged, "The most shocking thing is that the railway authorities altered the original master plan and merely to benefit a builder's project, the access road was aligned in the mid-section of the platform on the west side of the station. Passengers are forced to take a long route to reach the bus depot."
"Besides, I don't understand why booking window has been provided on the first floor when trains ply on the ground. There is no escalator, which means even a senior citizen has to climb up the stairs to buy ticket. He will then have to come down to catch a train," he said.
However, when contacted, chief spokesperson of Western Railway (WR) Ravindra Bhakar, rejected the charges saying they were minor issues, which would be "addressed very soon".
"This is a first class station with all amenities. Few more facilities will be put in place soon. As far as the booking window is concerned, there was a severe space crunch on the ground floor. We had to construct a ramp to make the station disabled-friendly station," he said.
Located between Jogeshwari and Goregaon on Western Railway, the new station is said to be the only suburban station built between the stretch of Churchgate and Boriwli after independence. The station draws its name from an old temple of Lord Ram located in the vicinity.
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