6 days ago
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.
