Sewage reflects neglect at Charbagh railway station
The sewage swamped surroundings of Charbagh Railway Station belie the station authorities’ tall claims of cleanliness. While the platforms and the circulating areas are much cleaner than before - thanks to a drive started as part of the centre’s Swachh Bharat Mission - the authorities seem to be least bothered about the station’s peripheral area.
It has been two days since sewage water has been accumulating in the low lying areas of the station as well as the road right outside it.
Officials claim that the cleanliness drive is a round-the-clock process and that the Northern Railway (NR) has hired agencies for the purpose at a cost of over Rs 3 crore.
“Cleaning is a continuous process here ever since the BJP government came to power,” said an employee at the DRM Office, NR. However, these claims will do little to assuage the passengers who have to deal with the station’s sewage-logged premises. The mess, right at the station’s entry, owes its origin to a choked sewer line, cleaning of which falls under within the responsibility scope of the municipal corporation.
The station’s cleaning staff also expressed their helplessness in tackling the menace. “The water-logging happened after a sewer line, connected with a big public toilet on the station’s premises, got clogged on Tuesday. Water began to gather in the low lying areas. But cleaning the sewer line is the municipality’s job,” said a cleanliness worker.
However, by Wednesday the situation had worsened drastically, with the sewage and the dirty water from the public toilet getting accumulated on the road. It polluted the area so much that passengers could hardly walk past the mess without covering their nose. Many preferred to steer clear of the stretch, opting for alternative routes.
“I never imagined that a mess like this would be seen outside the station. It’s a horrible sight! Station authorities should have take adequate measures to clean up the manhole (connected to the choked sewer line),” said Sachin Shukla, a passenger who was travelling with his family.
Shivendra Shukla, senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) NR said, “The manhole got choked after the problem in the nagar nigam sewer line. We also approached the Jal Sansthan and the officials there assured us that they would repair the damaged line. Besides, we will also be getting the filth cleared up using heavy suction pumps.”
This is not the first time that the sewer line has got clogged. Station officials said that around three months ago the same sewer line had got blocked. Passengers and locals had to stage a demonstration to get the manhole cleaned up.
“This problem is due to the elevated sewerage of the municipal corporation. The sewer line of the station is low lying and the difference in elevation causes it to clog up,” said an official.