Rupsa: Passengers using Haladipada railway station are facing a lot of problems in the absence of even basic facilities. It comes under the Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER) and is an important railway station in Balasore because thousands of people from various parts of Balasore and Mayurbhanj district catch trains from there daily.
But passengers have to face a lot of problems for lack of basic facilities. Despite repeated protests by local people, the railway ministry has not done anything, locals say.
According to reports, the SER had promised to look into the demands made by passengers as far back as in 2011. Even after six years, “their promise (of fulfilling our demands) has remained confined to only words,” locals fumed.
Major demands of the passengers and local people include extension of Howarah-Jaleswer Memo train running up to Balasore, extension of Baripada-Rupsa Passenger up to Balasore, construction of an underpass at Nidhipanda, opening of a reservation counter, drainage system at Raisuan level crossing, construction of a boundary wall, an entry point, an ATM counter and toilets at the station.
Jamuna Singh, sarpanch of Chasakhand, said that passengers have to face a lot of problems at the station in the absence of toilet facilities and ATM counter.
Thousands of people from over 100 panchayats like Haladipada, Raisuan, Kuradiha, Chasakhand, Odhangi, Nagram, Olanda, and Chhanua, apart from many pockets of Mayurbhanj district board trains at this station every day.
Over the years, the railway station has been witnessing an increased number of passengers, particularly for Howrah-Puri Passenger train, Kharagpur-Khurdha Road Fast Passenger, Howrah-Bhadrak Bagha Jatin Passenger, Kharagpur-Jajpur Passenger and Baripada-Bhubaneswar Superfast Express.
Upset over SER’s lackadaisical attitude towards the development of the railway station, members of a local outfit Pragati Manch has decided to stage a 12-hour rail roko and road blockade in the area September 4.
Manch president Rabindra Nath Mohanty, vice president Bruhaspati Das, secretary Surendranath Das, assistant secretary Biren Nanda, treasurer Chaitanya Sahu had again reminded the DRM, the collector, SP, MP and the MLAs about their demands August 4.
Earlier, when no heed was paid to their demands, local people led by Pragati Manch had staged a rail roko November 5 in 2015. Following the agitation the railway authorities had taken up the construction of a railway shed, foot over bridge and the elevation of the platform.
Since then, the SER authorities have been mum on other demands. When the Manch warned of an agitation June 9, a meeting was held at ADM office June 8. Manch representatives were assured that their other demands would be addressed soon.
“Whenever we stage agitation, the railway authorities just make promises only to forget later. Years pass, but nothing is being done,” lamented Rabindra Mohanty, Manch president. PNN