Title - Ranchi Platform No 1 to open in a month

RANCHI: Plight of commuters at Ranchi railway station will end in a month. Construction of the washable apron, which started on November 23, will take 30 more days after which Platform 1 will be ready for use before the ODI match on January 19. The platform has been closed for daily passengers and travellers for construction work, forcing them to either cross tracks or use narrow footbridges to reach platform 2 or 3.

There are only two footbridges at the railway station which are not enough to support the huge crowd during peak hours. About 60 trains, both long-distance and local, halt at Ranchi station everyday. "It is just an invitation for accident. At times Rajdhani and Shatabdi (Expresses) come at the same time and the rush becomes unmanageable," said a GRP official on condition of anonymity.

Stampede looks imminent when thousands hurry down the narrow steps of the footbridges, said Sudeep Kumar, a passenger. Amod Kumar, officer in-charge of GRP police station at Ranchi railway station, said, "I have asked policemen to be alert during arrivals of trains and help manage the crowd."

"It is easy to manage the crowd during fairs and gatherings but not at railway stations. Nonetheless, we are giving our best effort to ensure safety of commuters," said a GRP officer on condition of anonymity.

However, railway authorities said no complaint has been received from any passenger. "Passengers have to suffer but for a very short period of time. It is not a serious issue," said station manager H K Pandey.

Sharad Mahto, a passenger who arrived from Howrah by Howrah Ranchi Shatabadi Express here on Tuesday, said, "By the time a person reaches Ranchi from Howrah he is entirely exhausted. It is terrible when one finds himself amidst a pool of further exhausting crowd."