BENGALURU: Amenities in the mid portion of the concourse area of the KSR Railway Station are pathetic. Barring a recently opened jute bag shop and a spiritual book store, there are no drink, food or snack outlets that passengers desperately require. To top it off, visitors walk around clueless, seeking directions in the absence of signboards.
‘Closed’ and ‘Tender in progress’ are the boards that greet a passenger here. A bustling snacks and drinks shop run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has been closed, putting all to inconvenience. A milk stall and an outlet by the Himachal Pradesh Marketing Corporation too have been closed. The sole enquiry counter is not sufficient to respond to the queries of passengers thronging the place. This reporter was asked directions for different amenities by five individuals separately during a half-hour stay at the station.
More embarrassing are three gaping holes in the false ceiling, one of which is bang in front of Nandini stall. This is where water from the bathrooms or toilets of the male and female dormitories on the first floor leak. A staffer says, “The hole has been here for a few months. We have repeatedly requested Railways to look into it. People having a drink here get upset when water falls on them or their drink.”
This reporter visited KMA Guesthouse, which has been contracted with running the dormitories. Manager Rashid Ahmed said he had fixed the issue a few times, but the problem recurs. ”Only when the entire false ceiling is repaired, can it be set right,” he added. Additional Divisional Railway Manager Kusuma Hariprasad said, “I will ask the department to install the signboards immediately to guide passengers.”