Anyone who visits Vyasarpadi Jeeva railway station after dusk will have to tread carefully till they reach the main road - thanks to the poor lighting in the station and the approach road and criminals lurking under the cover of darkness.
On Wednesday night too, a passenger was waylaid by two persons on the approach road also known as the Station Border Road. V. Revanth, a 19-year old student, was returning home around 10 p.m. after attending a wedding in Tambaram. “When I was coming out, two persons followed me. They stole my ring, mobile phone and Rs. 500 at knife point,” explains Revanth. He then filed a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP).
Meanwhile, regular commuters claim that there are hardly any policemen in the station after 9 p.m. “It is a single-platform station. There is no proper lighting in the subway leading to the ticket counter,” said K. S. Gopalakrishnan, former member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, Southern Railway.
Similar is the condition of the approach road, which has no lighting. “I was riding on this stretch a month ago and I saw a man being waylaid at knife point. Since it is deserted, there is no point crying for help,” said K. Ramalingam, a resident of Perambur.
According to some residents, they often see people indulging in anti-social activities on this stretch. “The police personnel do not seem to bother. The police patrol vehicles don’t even cover these stretches citing jurisdiction,” added S. Mathialagan, a construction worker.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that a similar situation prevails in Pattabiram railway station too. “The railways should improve lighting in all railway stations and the approach roads. There should be police presence so that commuters can travel without fear.
