BANGALORE: One look at the Whitefield Railway station and one would probably get the feeling of entering a haunted mansion.
A relatively vast stretch of land that has been asphalted in front of the modern looking facade at the entrance is the parking lot.
Ironically, the area that has been designated for parking is painted in red with a ‘no-parking’ sign.
The security at the entrance is also clueless as to why the sign was painted in the first place.
The ‘way-side’ station on an average sees approximately 80,000 passengers a month.
“In the month of July we had 81,000 passengers who had booked their destination journey from the station and our earning for the month was over `10 lakh,” said I Angus Nayagam, the station master.
Ashok, a passenger said, “Though it is a small station, it has all the basic facilities.
The water taps in the station are functional and the pay and use toilets are also clean and well maintained.” Remodelled and inaugurated early this year the station has been well kept since.
It is bifurcated into two.
The new facade and the old station is split by a railway track that passes through the gap in between.
An over head foot bridge is the only link between these two buildings.
While the bridge bears the signs of wear-and-tear, the sign boards in the station are well painted.
The waiting area is also clean.
But, there are a few dark areas in this station as well.
Some of the main problems pointed out by both the passengers and the station manager here were, the urgent requirement for an over head foot bridge near Kadogudi bus stop and the need to extend the shelter till the end of the platform.
“It has been over a year since the line crossing between Kadugodi bus stop and the residential area on the other side has been closed.
A footbridge was supposed to have been constructed here, however, due to the problem with adequate funds nothing has happened yet.
The cost is supposed to be split between the State Government and the railways, but due to the lack of funds, there is no progress yet,” said the station master.
As far as other facilities available are concerned, there are a total of four waiting rooms in the station, there is also a snack kiosk, whose roof doubles as a shelter for passengers during the rains.
Ramps at the main entrance, a separate toilet and two more ramps at the far end of the threeplatform station are the only facilities available for the differently abled.