PM virtually inaugurates Gadag station, Work Still Incomplete
Gadag: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 103 railway stations, developed under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, to the nation on May 22. Gadag railway station was one of them, developed at a cost of over Rs 23 crore.
However, several works are yet to be completed. Escalators and lifts are non-functional due to pending power connections, and many basic amenities remain unfinished. Station employees say political decisions drove the timing of the inauguration, leading to public disappointment.
Ganesh Singh Byali of the Betgeri Railway Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti told TOI that this is an instance of how the railway department is dancing to the tune of politicians.
"Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the station virtually from Rajasthan, Gadag station was opened while still a lot of work remains pending. Now passengers are forced to risk their lives while walking around the station as many sheets, tiles and their pieces, sand, cement, and other construction material are lying in the open.
Pipes are erected but water stands are yet to be constructed. What was the hurry to inaugurate the incomplete station virtually?" he questioned.
He opined that SWR officials should have convyed to the railway ministry and PM office, that the work at Gadag station was incomplete. Many employees at the station expressed their helplessness and admitted that the station has turned into a dump yard. "Nowadays only politicians are deciding all happenings in the department," they added.
HB Vaddatti, a passenger from Mundargi, said that he visited the station on May 27 to see the renovated station.
"As soon as we entered the station, we were disappointed to see senior citizen, children, and other travellers struggle to cross tracks to reach platforms 2 and 3 as all escalators and lifts were defunct. When we contacted the deputy station superintendent he just disconnected the call saying he will look into it," the passenger shared.
Parvati Ningappa, a senior citizen at the station, said that she stopped using trains when the renovation began at Gadag station, since she was a patient of chronic knee pain. "As we read the news in media saying the renovated station was inaugurated by the PM, we went there to catch a train from platform 2. As the footbridge is located at the end of the platform, it was a task to reach the other end," she added.
Manjunath Kanamadi, CPRO, SWR, was unavailable for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dilawar cracks down on illegal power connections
1 2 Kota: State's education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar organised neighbourhood meetings in Suket area of his constituency on Sunday. During a meeting held in Surliwal's alley, local residents complained about a person named Kallu providing illegal electricity connections. Residents reported that Kallu had laid pipes alongside the water pipeline to provide illegal electricity connections and was collecting Rs 500 per month from each household. Approximately 700 homes had illegal connections. Minister Dilawar immediately instructed the Superintendent Engineer of Electricity, Vishnu Dutt Lodha, to visit the site with a police team and take action. Following the instructions, the engineer and his team disconnected the illegal connections and seized the cables. Meanwhile, minister Dilawar himself arrived at the site. Residents showed him the illegal electricity connections running into homes through underground pipelines. The minister immediately summoned Suket Police Station Officer Chhotu Lal to file an FIR against the accused Kallu alias Jalaluddin and his accomplice. He ordered the recovery of dues from the accused, including interest, from the time electricity supply began in Suket. Afterward, minister Dilawar inspected Kumhar neighbourhood, where an encroachment issue on the old building of the Government Higher Secondary School Suket was found. The minister, along with Sub-Divisional Officer Neeta Vasita, Municipal Executive Officer Hemendra Sankhla, and Station Officer Chhotu Lal, visited the school to inspect the encroachment. Cattle were found tied in the staff room, and other rooms were locked. The minister instructed the Sub-Divisional Officer to clear the entire school building of encroachments, appoint a receiver, and prepare proposals for operating an Anganwadi centre. Seeing encroachment on the road with stones, Minister Dilawar got angry and immediately ordered the Municipal Executive Officer of Suket to remove the encroachment using a JCB. The Chief Executive Officer promptly arranged for a JCB to clear the encroachment.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
High road tax, off-track fuel policies hitting revenue & vehicle sales in MP
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh's high vehicle road tax is causing substantial revenue losses. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) has highlighted that customers in MP are purchasing vehicles from adjacent states with lower taxation rates. Ironically, despite repeated appeals to the state govt for tax reduction, no action was taken. MP is losing money on different types of vehicle sales. People who want fancy cars (costing over Rs. 20 Lakhs) are buying them in Chhattisgarh or Arunachal Pradesh. Why? Because the road tax is lower there. MP charges 16% road tax. FADA claimed that Chhattisgarh only charges 10%. Arunachal Pradesh has a fixed rate of Rs. 35,000. This difference is a big deal for expensive cars. Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles also have tax issues. The road tax on two-wheeler EVs in MP went up from 1% to 4%. People want the govt to bring it back down. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have zero road tax on EVs. Chhattisgarh even gives subsidies of up to Rs. 15 Lakh on EVs and hybrid vehicles. This makes buying these vehicles much cheaper in Chhattisgarh, added FADA officials. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¿Cómo obtener un segundo ingreso invirtiendo $100 con IA? [CFD] Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo Ambulance registrations are another problem. People prefer to register ambulances in Chhattisgarh. This is because MP charges 10% road tax on ambulances. Chhattisgarh has no road tax on them. This makes ambulances cheaper to register in Chhattisgarh. The way MP calculates road tax is also being questioned. Right now, road tax includes the GST (Goods and Services Tax). A suggestion was made to calculate the tax before GST is added. This would lower the amount of tax people pay. MP has a great location in the middle of India. This could make it a big logistics hub. The govt could offer incentives to car companies. This could help them deliver cars faster. It could also create more jobs in MP, said FADA officials. Fuel taxes are also a problem. MP has some of the highest VAT (Value Added Tax) rates on fuel in India. Because of this, truck drivers and others often fill up their tanks in other states. This means MP loses out on tax money. It also makes fuel more expensive for people who live in MP. The govt needs to take these issues seriously to "prevent tax revenue losses." It will help to "reduce the financial burden on MP's population." By fixing these tax problems, MP can keep more money in the state. FADA MP raised four crucial concerns. "These include advocating for lower road tax rates in MP, seeking a reduction in fuel VAT, highlighting MP's potential as a logistics hub due to its central location, and addressing the incorrect practice of road tax calculation on GST," said Chairperson FADA Madhya Pradesh, Ashish Pande. He added, "It's worth noting that MP's sales performance was significantly lower than the national average over the past 4 months, resulting in reduced revenue collection for the state, both in terms of GST and road tax. This needs immediate attention from the state govt." Transport department officials did not respond to the calls made to them.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP pays tributes to Darbar Sahib ‘shaheedan', but then deletes post; move triggers debate
Jalandhar: To mark the 41st anniversary of the army action at Darbar Sahib in June 1984, the Punjab unit of BJP on Sunday appeared to have taken a major shift in its stance through a post on its social media accounts. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It paid a tribute to the "shaheedan" (martyrs) of the "day one" of the "attack" on Darbar Sahib, using expressions that Sikhs have used from the start. However, the post was soon retracted. The BJP posted: "1 June 1984 - Saka (cataclysmic event) Blue Star – Humble tribute to all the martyrs of day one of the attack on Darbar Sahib by the Congress govt." It also used pictures of the damaged Akal Takht and an armoured army vehicle with deflated tyres, watched by three army men. Calling the army action an "attack on Darbar Sahib" was not a first for the Punjab BJP; Prime Minister Narendra Modi first used it in Aug 2023 in Parliament. However, using the expression "shaheedan" for "all" those killed on day one and paying them tributes reflected the biggest shift so far. Calling it "saka" was also new for the BJP. The Sikh community has been using this term from the start. The post received mixed response and triggered a debate within BJP. After over three hours, the post was deleted from Punjab BJP's Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Initially, in 1984, Congress and BJP appeared to be on the same page regarding the army action, as it was projected or perceived as the "only option left" or "unavoidable". However, years later, BJP started showing a major shift. Although, for the last few years, even Congress leaders have not been justifying the army action, BJP leaders appear to be gradually shifting their stance on the controversial action. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Yet, the saffron party has not been going to the other side of the spectrum, which is taking a position or using expressions used by the Sikhs. The social media post on Sunday reflected a tectonic shift, but its deletion reflected not only the dilemma, but also perhaps consideration of a section of its constituency. For the BJP, late Arun Jaitley was the first to call the army action a "historical blunder". Jaitley's statement had come during a press conference in Jalandhar on April 18, 2009, in the run-up to the parliamentary elections that year, whenhe was BJP's general secretary. On Aug 10, 2023, PM Modi made the first significant departure from the Centre's position on Operation Bluestar, when he called the army action "an attack on Akal Takht". He said this while replying to a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament. "Akal Takht was attacked and it is still in our memory. They became habituated from Mizoram and due to this, they went on to attack Akal Takht. This happens in our own country and here they are sermonising us," said the PM as he criticised the Congress and actions by then PM Indira Gandhi's govt, including the use of air raids by the Indian Air Force on "helpless citizens in Mizoram" in 1966. On Sep 18 last year, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh called the army action an "assault" on Darbar Sahib as he criticised Punjab Congress for defending the Gandhi family.
