Date:23/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/23/stories/2008022353990400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Private participation at its best

J.B.S.Umanadh

Villagers, tired of pleas for passing trains to halt at their place, finally build a station

– Photo: MOHD ARIF

One of its kind: The Sankhapur railway station.

Sankhapur (Medak): Residents of two villages through which a railway line passes but no train ever made a stop to pick them up, built a station and made the train stop for them. The villagers of Sankhapur and Khajapur of Chinnashankarampet mandal used to walk 6 km on the dusty road to reach NH 7 if they had to go either to Nizamabad or Hyderabad. However, the villages lacked a station so that the two trains 593 Nanded and 573 Bodhan could halt while making trips up and down the track.

Speaking to The Hindu Sankhapur Sarpanch Sidha Goud said the villagers had waited for 25 long years for the railways to take note their plight and provide a halt so that the farmers could transport their agricultural produce. Three years ago, the then Khajapur Sarpanch Tegalla Babu made efforts to build a station in order to force the authorities to consider their request. With his untimely death at the hands of Maoists, his wife Bujji who is the present sarpanch started working on the project. She found support from local TRS leader R. Sudhakar Reddy and a philanthropist Mansoor Ahmad of Khajapur. She finally fulfilled her husband’s dream. While Sudhkar Reddy chipped in by providing his earth-moving equipment free of cost for almost half-a-year, Mansoor Ahmad donated Rs. 2 lakh.

Once the decision was made, the residents of both the villages started mobilising Rs. 200 per house and one man to share the work. Within six months, they strengthened the banks of the track and completed the work on platform. Along with it, a booking office-cum-waiting room was built with the money provided by Mansoor Ahmad. While the construction was going on, Laxman, a local doctor opened a correspondence with the railway authorities who finally agreed for a halt at Sankhapur. The station was inaugurated recently by MP Sarve Satyanarayana.