Roof of Cantt railway station leaksafter rain; passengers rue apathy

Bengaluru: In an indication of the sorry state of affairs at Cantonment railway station, portions of the roof began to leak after Monday night’s downpour.Passengers inconvenienced by the flooding said no action has been taken by railway authorities to resolve the issue despite several complaints. “The leaking roof shows that one of the major railway stations in the city is poorly maintained. An inquiry should be conducted and action should be taken against staff found responsible,” said a passenger at the station.Videos of water gushing out of a drain spout also went viral. Umesh B Rao, co-founder of Institute for Research Development & Training of Construction Trades & Management, said the rainwater pipe’s placement on the platform is wrong. “Such a drainage system is unacceptable,” added the civil engineer. Rajkumar Dugar, founder of Citizens for Citizens, an NGO, said: “Cantonment is the oldest station in Bengaluru and is located in the heart of the city. Every year, it leaks during rain and railway officials are aware of the problem. But they haven’t fixed it so far. This is a huge let down for rail passengers.” Bengaluru divisional railway manager Shyam Singh was unavailable for comments.Revamp, suburban terminal proposals on paperSWR’s ambitious plans to redevelop Cantonment railway station and convert it into a suburban terminal remain on paper.