Basic amenities at Bandra station & terminus in ‘poor condition’, says railway panel

Following a thorough inspection by the Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC) of the Railway Board on Saturday, it’s members noted that the basic amenities provided at Bandra station and terminus were in poor condition or of substandard quality.

While it may not come as a surprise to those to travel via these stations regularly, it is still a cause of concern for the board considering the fact that they are among the most crowded stations in the city.

PAC member Mohammed Irfan Ahmad said that both stations were lacking in cleanliness of toilets, drinking water facilities and platforms and seating facilities. They also noted that the number of GRP (Government Railway Police) and RPF (Railway Police Force) officers were insufficient, and some of them were not paying attention to security measures.

The four-member committee inspected the station and terminus along with Western Railway authorities. Back in June, the PAC had inspected all suburban stations and instructed the relevant authorities to make changes per their recommendations. The current check was a followup to ascertain the progress made during the period.

Following the inspection, WR was directed to clean both stations and check the quality of construction of Platform 1 of Bandra Terminus. WR was also asked to remove the massive encroachments near the railway tracks at Bandra (east). The encroachments also include multi-storey hutments.

Reportedly, the committee is also looking at providing free toilet facilities to passengers using advertising revenue. Meanwhile, railways has instructed the stations to not sanction new contracts to advertisers.