HYDERABAD: While it is a known secret among regular commuters of metro rail, who embark on a trip from Ameerpet interchange station, that baggage scanners often breakdown, albeit temporarily, it has come to light that some of them are just “second-hand” baggage scanners which were brought in to just meet the deadline of metro rail inauguration. It is learnt from a reliable sources of the L&T MRHL that the baggage scanners used at the Ameerpet Interchange station are not new. The four baggage scanners that are used, frequently breakdown.
“We have placed second-hand scanners here, which were sourced from the railways department in haste to ready the station on time. Though the scanners are from a reputable foreign company, they frequently get stuck, forcing us to deal with a single entry point,” disclosed sources from L&T MRHLWhen Express visited the station around 12.30 p.m on Saturday, the baggage scanner at entry point ‘C’ was not functioning. The security personnel at the point redirected all commuters with bags to point ‘B’, instead.“This machine has not been working for two days. Considering that these are pre-used, we frequently have to call for technical assistance,” the security officer said.
The scanning machines are not just amplifying crowd controlling woes during weekends at the busy interchange station but is also creating inconvenience to commuters wanting to quickly complete the frisking process. Meanwhile, the L&T MRHL officials maintained that, “The problem will be rectified within two days.”
Smart cards recharge woes to continue
Since November 29, when the services first began in the city, the classic variant of the Nebula smart card continues to limit its functionality and usability. It takes a staggering 48 hours for the recharged amount to reflect in the account. Adding to the inconvenience of regular commuters, the only way to recharge the card is through an exclusive counter maintained at the Metro stations. “There is a software glitch that cannot be resolved immediately. It will be sorted within two days,” said official of the L&THRML.