Govind D Belgaumkar

• Mangalore Junction, the erstwhile Kankanadi Station, crying for facelift 
• The approach roads to the station are in bad shape
• Cafeteria and waiting hall need immediate attention

Mangalore, Jan 1: Mangalore Junction, known as Kankanadi Station till recently, attracts many passengers because of the fact that important trains pass through it. However, the condition of the station hardly pleases the commuters.

Passengers from within the city and the nearby areas board trains towards New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai and Jaipur which do not touch Mangalore Central Railway Station.

“I came to this station for the first time. I am not amused,” Amrit Alwaris, who is employed in Dubai, told The Hindu. “The road is dirty. The station is not clean,” she said.

She was not aware that she had a less bumpy road to reach the station. The station has two approach roads: one from Naguri, which belongs to Mangalore City Corporation, and the other from Padil, that belongs to the Railways.

Ms. Alwaris had travelled by the Padil-route. In addition to the large potholes on this stretch, water clogging in front of several buildings render it a dirty route to travel by.

Most of the people use the narrow and tortuous road from Naguri which is not fit for motoring, to say the least. Vehicles use this route because it shortens the distance to the station by about two kilometres. “The roads in villages and small towns are much better,” according to some commuters.

C.H. Bidyashankar, a BSNL staff, said the approach road should be repaired on priority. It should be widened and asphalted, he added. His colleague, D.K. Bhat, said that the platforms at the railway station lacked adequate canopy. “Passengers get wet while getting into trains during the rainy season. It is torturous to wait for the coach under the hot sun, too. Lighting is poor here,” Mr. Bhat said.

Other amenities such as a good cafeteria and a decent waiting hall are not there in the station. The toilet constructed recently on the platform was locked. Commuters pointed out that elderly people and children found it difficult to climb the steps to reach the yet-to-be-opened waiting hall.

Although this station is only about 7 km away from the central railway station, autorickshaw drivers demanded about Rs. 100 for a trip. There is no bus service to the station. Buses stop at Padil-Bajal or Nagori from where people have to opt for other means of transport to reach the junction.

The only advantage at this station is that its reservation counters are less crowded. “Ticketing staff is well behaved,” said Alwares, another commuter. Shahid Islam and Mukesh Kumar, students of Kasturba Medical College, expressed similar views about the men behind the booking counters.

Sources in the Railways said the approach road from Padil would be widened and concreted. “The proposal has been approved and the tender process will start soon,” the sources said. They said the Railways had requested the corporation to widen and improve the other approach road as well. They admitted that the steps leading to the waiting hall needed to be redone. “It will be opened in a couple of weeks,” they added.

Stating that the Railways wanted to improve this station, the sources said that entrance flooring would be re-laid with granite and the rest of the area would be covered with slabs with smooth surface. A proposal had been sent for extending the canopy, they said.