WARANGAL: In an effort to persuade officials to halt more trains at the Nekkonda Railway Station, villagers are purchasing tickets for the Secunderabad-Guntur intercity express train without intending to board themselves.
According to the South Central Railway (SCR), if the revenue generated at Nekkonda Railway Station increases substantially, it can consider halting express trains at the station.
A WhatsApp group — Nekkonda Town Railway Ticket Forum — was also created for this purpose where around 400 villagers, ranging from street vendors to businesspersons, joined. They pooled donations of approximately Rs 25,000 to purchase daily tickets from Nekkonda to Khammam and Secunderabad.
Group members, including administrators like B Ram Gopal, ensure timely ticket purchases before the arrival of the intercity express. Additionally, tickets are procured for passengers in nearby villages.
Ram said the dream of the people of Nekkonda is to have all express trains halt for convenient travel to any station.
Previously, the villagers had submitted several requests for halting the Padmavathi, Konark, Navajivan and Gouthami express trains at the Nekkonda station. However, authorities had cited insufficient revenue as the reason for not granting permission to halt these trains at the station. Despite unsuccessful attempts to halt trains, the villagers remain determined.