GUWAHATI/KOCHI: Despite the Centre’s tall claims of improving facilities for the rail passengers, the three-day long journey in the weekly Guwahati-Trivandrum train is a nightmare.
Starting from delay in departure to providing unclean bed sheets, there is no end to the agony of the passengers.
The North East Frontier Railway is taking care of one of the longest routes, but it is unable to provide the basic minimum facilities.
The NF Railways had outsourced distribution of bed sheets and pillows to private parties. There are several instances of passengers getting used and unclean bed sheets. When asked, the person distributing the bedsheets said, “What to do? We can only provide these. There are no new bed sheets”.
The worst affected is the two tier AC coach contrary to the expectations.
Fed up with this, a passenger called up the customer care number 138. Later, the ticket examiner intervened and asked the person in-charge to distribute clean bed sheets.
Water scarcity is another recurring problem in the train. A case in point is the experience in the two tier AC coach in the train (12516) on Thursday. For eight hours till 10 am, the taps went dry adding to the plight of passengers.
When contacted, the person manning the customer care centre expressed his inability to do anything stating that filling of water can be done only when the train makes a stop at particular station.
Broken toilet doors and unclean commodes are other worries. Though bio toilets were set up in selected coaches, lack of civic sense by the users made them impossible to use.
A rail official said it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the coaches clean.
Adding to the problem is the overcrowding of people who are not regular passengers on the corridors and near the toilets deterring free movement of women and children.
According to a passenger, if this is the condition of two tier AC coach, what would be the fate of passengers travelling in other class?
At times, when queries were made, nobody responds from the customer care number. The ticket examiners who come after every 8 hours after change of duty are also helpless.
Lastly, the train reduces its speed once it enters Kerala.
