Title - Staff shortage hits Railway services

Jalandhar:The Jalandhar railway station depicts a sorry picture as the authorities have ignored problems at the station for quite a long time. On visiting the railway station, a trolley of garbage, was seen parked at the entrance. The railway platforms and tracks were in a dirty condition. The reservation and enquiry counters wore a deserted look as there is a shortage of adequate staff. The fire safety and security arrangements were also found to be inadequate. The sources revealed that the water and food samples from the station were not being tested on a regular basis.The condition of a shed made for the porters, so that they could rest during the day, was also deplorable.“Stray dogs keep roaming around the inquiry and ticket-booking counters. Apart from this, the signboards mentioning the location of the dustbins on the railway platforms are there but dustbins are nowhere to be seen,” said Geetika Sharma, a passenger.As far as cleanliness is concerned, railway tracks were littered with garbage. People were found sitting on the floor everywhere as the condition of the waiting rooms was quite wretched. Metal detectors at the entrance gate were not working and no alternate arrangement for security check was found at any of the gates.

Inquiries revealed that there is staff crunch at the railway station. Almost 50 per cent of the vacancies are lying vacant in different wings of the station. Only two out of five windows were open at the reservation counter because of the staff shortage. “Because of the staff scarcity at the railway ticket booking and inquiry counters, the passengers have to face lot of inconvenience,” said Jugal Sharma, a frequent traveller.

When contacted, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Ferozepur Division, Northern Railways, Upjeet Singh, said: “I agree that the shortage of staff is there but the situation is not that grim. However, I will still check and do the needful.” He said because of open entry from all sides, they were facing problem of stray dogs and garbage at the railway station, adding that, “All the problems will be addressed shortly.”