Jajpur: The Jajpur-Keonjhar Road railway station is 128 years old and it has remained neglected in all fronts. It has failed to witness the kind of development that is befitting for a century-old railway station, sources pointed out Tuesday. There is a goods shed close to the station but it has become a major hub of pollution. Passengers traveling to various destinations and residents in localities around the station are bearing the brunt of the pollution, locals pointed out. This has come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is stressing cleanliness through the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ programme.
Even though it is known as the Jajpur-Keonjhar Road railway station, not a single train travels to Keonjhar from it. Passengers have demanded the renaming of the station for this reason. They have also demanded the construction of an underpass and a flyover to the east of the station. Sources pointed out that the Railways annually earn more than Rs 3 crore from the station.
However, nothing is being done for the development of the station, they added. Peeved over the development, local residents, led by Bhagirathi Acharya, Convener of the Advisory Committee of Jajpur-Keonjhar Road railway station, have written to PM Modi about the problems faced by commuters. Their demands include plying of all express trains through the station and in accordance with divisional status.
Locals pointed out that the Kalinganagar industrial area is dependent on this railway station with thousands of passengers from both India and abroad using it. The station has also been accorded ‘A’ category status, but it is yet to witness the development befitting its gradation.
A large number of long-distance trains including the Rajdhani Express do not stop at this station causing a lot of inconvenience to the passengers. The station also lacks a proper cloakroom and an air-conditioned waiting hall, sources said. The Rail Users’ Consultative Committee has over the years adopted various proposals for the development of the station, but nothing has been implemented by the authorities. The JajpurKeonjhar Road railway station has been included in the ‘Amrit Bharat’ scheme of the Union Government.
However, none of the development work has been implemented for the station. Passengers have been demanding for long, the shifting of the goods shed, proper parking facilities, and the removal of vegetable vendors who block the road leading to the railway station. However, to date, the problems persist. Frequent traffic congestions cause tremendous hardships to those visiting the station. The demand for setting up a ticket counter on the southern side of the station is also yet to materialise, locals said. Residents have warned that they will soon resort to protests and agitations if their demands are not looked into in a proper manner.
