Date:18/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/18/stories/2006081825100300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Passengers risk injury at Podanur railway station

Subha J Rao

Pits have been dug and filled with gravel close to the tracks for platform expansion

TRAVELLERS' TRAVAIL: Passengers have a harrowing time boarding and alighting trains at the Podanur railway station due to platform extension work. — Photo: K. Ananthan

Coimbatore: Reena, an engineer, was trying to get off the Mangalore-bound West Coast Express at Podanur railway station last week. She thought she would hop off the train like she always did. Instead, she landed with a thud, lost her balance, fell and suffered a fracture in the left hand.

Reason: Inadequate lighting at the spot where work is on to extend the platform.

Reena's was an especially bad case. But, getting on and alighting from the train is proving to be dangerous for the many women and the elderly who board the general and ladies compartments of express and mail trains at this station.

The existing platform, of British vintage, can only accommodate 18 coaches. And, since many express trains run 24 coaches to keep up with the demand, some coaches come to a stop beyond the platform. Now, work is on to extend the platform by 90 metres so that it can accommodate 24-coach trains. Preliminary work is already over on a 20-metre stretch. The rest is moving at a slow pace.

Pits have been dug and filled with gravel very close to the tracks in preparation for the expansion. This is where people trip and fall. The problem is acute at dawn and after dusk, when visibility is very poor. The lone tubelight near the pit throws out an arc of light well short of the pit.

"Unless the area is lit, how will you know where to plant your feet," asks Ramesh, a mechanic who often commutes to his native Jolarpet in a general compartment.

People understand that such an inconvenience is inevitable and that it is for their future good, but want a temporary solution so that they can continue using the compartments. They now depend on the assistance of fellow commuters to haul them in and get out safely in the little time they have to detrain.

Railway authorities say this problem cannot be avoided when work is on to improve passenger amenities. The Palakkad division handles 12 to 14 24-coach trains. And, work is on at all stations where these trains stop to increase the length of the platform — in Mangalore, Kannur, Kozhikode, Shoranur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Erode and Salem.

However, as an immediate relief measure, on Monday, they installed a 70-watt high power sodium vapour lamp and a 150-watt metal halide lamp near the pit. The contractor has also been told to speed up the work on this stretch. S. S. Ramakrishnan, secretary of Citizens Voice club, a consumer organisation, says temporary measures must be put in place to avoid inconvenience to passengers. And, in case that is not possible, the "Station Master must personally ensure that every passenger has alighted safely," he says.