RailEnquiry

Handling and transportation of goods at the goods shed at the Gulbarga Railway Station is a total mess, lacking in basic facilities for transportation of goods from the rake point.The Gulbarga Handling and Transportation Contractors’ Association has time and again brought to the knowledge of the Railway authorities the woeful conditions at the goods shed and the insufficient protected space for storing goods that arrive from different parts of the country, to little effect.

WORSE IN MONSOON

The situation worsens during the rainy season, with the ground turning slushy and goods dumped from the wagons being placed in the open with only a tarpaulin for cover, exposing them to damage. The association said, in a press release here, that the goods shed was initially open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but was now operated round the clock.The unavailability of labour to download the goods at odd hours, particularly at night, was another major problem.It said godowns operated by the State government were open from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., making it difficult for workers to download goods from the wagons and transport them to the State godowns.

If the goods dumped at the goods shed were not lifted in nine hours, the Railways charged them.

Another problem faced by the association was that they could not run their vehicles during the daytime, owing to the restrictions placed by the authorities on the movement of heavy vehicles inside the city.

Meanwhile, RTI activist Shaik Shafi Ahmed has filed an application with the Public Information Officer in the Office of the Divisional Railway Manager in Solapur, Maharashtra, seeking details of the facilities available at the goods shed in Gulbarga Railway Station. Mr. Ahmed, in his application, sought to know the facilities available at the goods shed, including whether the goods shed had sufficient sheltered area, a motorable road for heavy vehicles to ply, and drinking water and toilet facilities for labourers as stipulated under the law.