Date:05/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/05/stories/2009010550960300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Poor arrangements

Lot of publicity was given to the Tungabhadra pushkarams in advance. However, the arrangements were poor going by one’s experience.

The waiting room for sleeper class passengers at Kurnool railway station was in bad shape. For, the pay and use toilets are also located there. In fact, the latter’s sign board was displayed boldly while the waiting room was written in small letters, so much so one had to search for the waiting room.

Also, the benches which should have been painted well in advance were painted on December 18 when we were there.

Unwittingly, passengers, who sat on them, had to carry soiled clothes due to the wet paint.

There was none to supervise the work of the contractor engaged for painting.

When the issues were taken to the notice of the station manager, he promised to rectify the errors. But one doubts if it would be really done.

O.V. Subbiah

Visakhapatnam

Introduce inter-city express

The Railways should introduce an inter-city express between Visakhapatnam and Jagadalpur with stoppages at S. Kota, Borra Caves, Araku, Koraput, Jeypore and Jagadalpur with chair cars and AC chair car for the benefit of tourists as there is no express train on this route.

If this train is run, the number of tourists will increase as well as the communication facilities and standard of living of the local people.

Paidi Simhachalam

Visakhapatnam

Grievance cell needed

The GVMC is doing a commendable job in attending to the civic needs.

Still, more can be done in improving its services, provided the Commissioner sets apart a particular day to hear grievances from the public on the lines of the District Collector Sanjay Kumar and the CMD of EPDCL N. Gulzar.

A face-to-face programme organised a few years ago by the print media was a runaway success and the elite of the city had a golden opportunity to air their views.

Such a process may be revived either by the print or electronic media.

Gopal Tallamraju

Visakhapatnam

Power bill payment

The much-touted automatic paying machine does not accept payment unless the due amount is fed into the machine.

And I understand it takes about a week after meter reading is done and demand bill presented to the consumer.

Unless this defect is set right, the machine would not be of much use.

S.K. Sharma

Visakhapatnam