2 sweepers & 6,000 passengers per day
PATHANKOT: Ranked 394th among the 407 railway station in the country, the Pathankot Cantt railway station is the dirtiest in the state. But the railway authorities have their reasons for the dismal show.
The station, which has two platforms and records a footfall of over 6,000 passengers per day, has only two sweepers.
The passengers, say railway authorities, are also guilty of littering despite dustbin placed at the stations.
The tin sheds that to protect passengers from sun and rain blew off during a storm, but the railway authorities have failed to fix the same.
Passengers are seen waitingat the station for trains in the scorching heat.
“I have been cleaning the station alone since morning, but my job is not over yet. We are only two to look after this big railway station where an army of sweepers is required,” says Sukhwinder Kaur, one of the sweepers.
“We are helpless in the absence of adequate staff,” said station superintendent Ashwani Sharma. “We have been asking for more staf, but to no avail. We need to educate passengers on
cleanliness and heavy penalty should be imposed on those found littering,” he said.
Moreover, the authorities don’t not have funds to maintain the station. Illegal vendors selling eatables in plastic carry bags is another major concern.