After nightfall, women’s safety goes for a toss at Nandiambakkam

Concerned over their safety, especially that of the women during late hours, the passengers using Nandiambakkam railway station have been urging authorities to post adequate number of Railway Protection Force personnel at the station premises – a demand that has not been met for a long time.

They have also been complaining about poor frequency of trains, lack of facility to announce the trains that were coming, and toilets kept under lock and key, all of which have been causing trouble for the commuters.

Though there are RPF personnel posted at the station, they are grossly inadequate, said Niranjana, a resident of Nandiambakkam. Earlier, the personnel would come to the railway station once a week at 10 pm. But now, the situation has gotten worse, she said. “Due to this, there is no safety for the passengers, especially the women, at night. 

In the evening, the men in the locality get drunk and disturb the women at the station. We have filed many complaints to the Minjur station master to take steps to deploy police personnel at the station, but they are not bothered about our safety. Only when something major happens they will take steps,” she added.

New toilets for men and women have been constructed already. However, they remained locked, with construction materials dumped inside. So, if the passengers need to use toilets, they should ask the contractors to open them – and even then it is difficult due to the materials kept inside.   There is no digital clock, though it is mandatory to install it at all railway stations. 

Also, waste is littered all over the premises, as there are no bins at the station were the people can drop waste. There are no ramps in the premises, which makes it a struggle for the differently abled passengers to access the station.

“There are trains every 30 minutes only in the peak hours. Rest of the time, we have to wait for an hour for the train to arrive,” said Kumari, a resident of Kathivakkam. And, in the absence of an announcement system to inform them about the trains that are coming into the station, the passengers boarding from here have no option but to wait, she added.

Despite all the trouble they have to go through, those residing in the neighbourhood are still forced to depend on the local trains because there is no bus facility in the locality. “So, we don’t have an option but to wait for the train even it gets late,” Kumari added. 

When asked a railway official from Minjur station (there is no station master at Nandiambakkam), he said they are not aware of the timings and are hence unable to able to announce the trains. Speaking to DT Next, the official said they had already asked higher officials to deploy police personnel. But there is a shortage of RPF personnel, so they cannot be posted at Nandiambakkam station, he added.