Pics: Allwyn Mascarenhas

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (DRD)

Mangaluru, May 13: Passengers waiting for trains at the Mangaluru Junction railway station were subjected to severe inconvenience on Tuesday, May 12 night, as the station's roof began leaking heavily during a sudden downpour. The incident has left citizens fuming and raised serious questions about the quality of the recent infrastructural upgrades carried out at the premises.

Ironically, the Mangaluru Junction station has been undergoing a major facelift under the Union Railway Ministry's ambitious Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the station in August 2023. Just last month, railway officials from the Palakkad Division had announced in a district committee meeting that development works worth Rs 20 crore had been successfully completed at the junction. These completed works reportedly included "upgraded platform shelters" and a "renovated station building."

However, Tuesday night's heavy showers quickly exposed the hollow reality of these claims. Photographs from the scene show thick streams of water pouring down from the metal roofing structure, completely failing to protect the platform below. The leaks created a waterfall-like curtain between the waiting areas and the trains.

Travelers, including children and senior citizens, were seen scrambling with their luggage to find dry spots. Many passengers were forced to huddle together near the 'One Station One Product' stall and other small dry patches, as large puddles formed across the platform. The newly installed steel benches were left completely drenched and unusable.

The misery of the passengers was further compounded by delayed train schedules, forcing them to spend longer hours navigating the wet, slippery platforms.

Mitesh Kabra, a general manager at a private company in Mangaluru who was bound for Goa, shared his harrowing experience with Daijiworld. He was at Platform 1 waiting for the Trivandrum-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) Netravathi Express, scheduled for 10:30 PM, which was delayed.

"We were already exhausted and frustrated because the Netravathi Express was running late. To make matters worse, the heavy rain exposed the pathetic state of the infrastructure here," Kabra said. "The roof started leaking profusely, forcing passengers to run around looking for a dry spot on the platform to protect themselves and their luggage. It is shocking and highly disappointing that a station supposedly upgraded with crores of taxpayers' money under the much-hyped Amrit Bharat scheme cannot even provide a basic waterproof shelter for its passengers."

The glaring contrast between the touted Rs 20 crore development and the actual ground reality has drawn massive public ire. Passengers are now urging higher railway authorities to launch an immediate probe into the quality of the materials used for the platform shelters and to hold the contractors accountable for the sub-standard work before the full-fledged monsoon hits the coastal region.