Railways neglecting parking woes of passengers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The aim is high for Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station - to become a world class station in the near future. But the would-be international station seems to have little concern for the passengers as it couldn’t yet provide a safe and covered parking space despite repeated pleas from passengers.   The station which receives around 2 lakh passengers everyday has been selected by the Railway Ministry to be converted into one of world-class standards. But, despite collecting a huge sum as parking fee everyday, the authorities are yet to find a solution to the parking woes of the passengers. Thousands of vehicles are parked on the station premises everyday and except a lone small shed majority of the nearly 6,000 sq m space is open.     Lack of a covered shelter is damaging the vehicles a lot, says Sreeni R, a regular passenger who works with a private firm in Kottayam. “Its only one year since I bought my new bike. I park the vehicle here for around seven hours on five days a week. The continuous exposure to sunlight and rains has faded its colour,” he said.   A pointer to the hidden dangers await travellers at the entrance to the parking lot. A placard hung on a pole near the toll counter gives you the contact number of a mobile workshop that repairs tyre punctures. “To find the vehicle’s tyres punctured in the incessant heat is a common sight here,” says Sicily, a passenger.               Safety of vehicles is another concern of passengers, says Hemand J C, a passenger. “One day, when I came back to take my bike, I saw two youths trying to take the battery out of the bike. When I questioned them, they said they were repairing the bike mistakenly,” he said. “There are no security staff here to check thieves and miscreants,” he said.  The Thampanoor Police says complaints of vehicle thefts from the railway parking space are not rare. “We regularly conduct patrolling on the station premises. But for a fool-proof system, the Railways or the agency concerned should engage sufficient security staff, a police official said.           Since the vehicles are parked for a fee, the passengers can approach the Consumer Rights’ Forum if their vehicles suffer any damage owing to the poor conditions at the parking space, said Forum member Beenakumari. She said the Forum had received a couple of complaints on vehicle thefts from the parking area. “Passengers can also approach us if their vehicles suffer any kind of damage owing to the poor facilities there,” she said.