Kochi: The South railway station, where nearly 38 lakh Sabarimala pilgrims from the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu pass through every season, has hardly any facilities to meet the basic requirements of the devotees.
The station, which records the highest footfall of sabari pilgrims after the Changannur railway station has just three retiring rooms, that too in dilapidated condition, as against five in Kannur and eight in Mangalore among others.
“Daily commuters too are affected as the station, along with the North, virtually turns into a waste dumpyard. It’s a common sight to see pilgrims sleeping on the platforms and eating out in the open.
The railways should provide the space and the Travancore Devaswom Board should set up facilities like toilets,” said P Unnikrishnan, divisional president, Southern Railway Mazdoor Union.
Instances of staff refusing to clean the North railway station due to human wastes being dumped from trains on to the tracks are frequent.
Meanwhile, the Southern Railways said they could provide the space but were stuck because of fund crunch to set up temporary facilities.
“We have identified space at the station but we need someone to sponsor the work. However, there is a limit to what we can do with such a large turnout of pilgrims,” said Area Manager Rajesh Chandran.
Another issue is the congestion of the station with private vehicles looking for inter-state pilgrims to hire them to Pampa and back.
