Mansarovar station in need of facelift, say angry commuters

KAMOTHE: Closed ticket windows, blank information displays, no announcements and dirty toilets are only some of the problems faced by commuters at the Mansarovar station every day.

Although it is one of the fastest growing nodes in the city, residents who choose to travel by train have to prepare themselves for a nightmarish experience. “The station has six ticket windows but usually, only one of them is operational. Long queues usually mean chaos and a waste of time. I often miss my train because of the rush at the ticket window,” Kamothe resident Deepali Shinde said.

Even the coupon vending machines (CVM) at the station lie in a state of neglect. “None of the CVMs work, there is only one Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) which is also occasionally operational. Getting hold of your daily ticket is a challenge,” said Umesh Joshi, another resident.

Commuters have also complained about the absence of adequate security at the station. “Last week I was returning home from work at around 11 pm. Taking advantage of the deserted station a man started following me through the dark subway. Thankfully I could rush out and get into an auto rickshaw,” said another resident.

But while the list of problems remains endless, officials claim to be helpless. The station is still under the jurisdiction of the City and Industrial Development Corporation ( Cidco). “We are going to deploy a few Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel by the end of this month. We are also in the process of deploying some mahila squads near the women coaches to increase security for women. Other infrastructure needs be looked after by Cidco as the station is not yet handed over to the railways,” an official from RPF, Panvel said.