Pune: Commuters and activists are fuming over the authorities ’ lack of efforts to prevent heavy waterlogging and leakage on platforms of the 99-year-old Pune railway station . With more rain likely to hit the city over the next few days, commuters claim the ad hoc arrangements must stop, and authorities must ensure permanent solutions to the problems. “On Saturday evening, following heavy rain, the system just collapsed.
There was waterlogging in front of the main building, in which many passengers were forced to walk in the water with their luggage. For a station, which is almost 100 years old and is celebrated by the authorities, this is not expected,” Ganesh Damke, a regular commuter between Pune and Mumbai, told TOI. Ashwin Dixit rued the leakage on platforms.
“How does one take shelter when platforms are leaking? While authorities announce new swanky trains, basic amenities at stations are a cause of concern. The increase in train accidents is also concerning. I think the railways have completely lost focus,” he said.
An autorickshaw driver, Guru Lamse, said passengers often complained of the discomfort and were shocked at the pathetic state of the railway station. Meanwhile, Vikas Deshpande, a member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) and president of the Pune-Daund Pravasi Sangh, said the issue had been raised several times with rail authorities. “There is a Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC) formed by the railway board, and the team moves around all stations of the country to look into these issues.
I want to know what they have done and why, despite their annual visits, the station is in such a condition?” he told TOI. Pune DRM Indu Dubey said a permanent solution is in the pipeline. “Yesterday, the rains resulted in huge surface runoff in the circulating area from the station and outside the station area.
All drainages were working properly, but due to the difference in discharge capacity of the drainage system and huge surface runoff water, stagnation was noticed for a while in the circulating area, which was immediately cleared as soon as the intensity of rainfall reduced. By 8.15pm, water was drained off from the circulating area,” she said.
Dubey said to compensate for the difference in inflow and outflow in case of extremely heavy rainfall spells like yesterday, augmentation work of drainage is also sanctioned by the railway in which a 120-meter pipeline will be laid underground by micro-tunnelling technique, for which a tender is also in place. “Work will start after the monsoon and will be completed before next monsoon,” the senior official told TOI..
