That we Goans are crazy about sea-food need not be advertised so loudly in such a brazen manner! The other day, waiting at the Madgaum railway station for an inordinately delayed upstate train, I was revolted by the overwhelming smell of fish. In fact the whole station was literally reeking and one could be pardoned for assuming that one had strayed into the precincts of a fish-processing unit. As a major conduit for commercial and passenger movement, the Madgaum junction is a vital clog in the Konkan Railway set-up. Hence the upkeep of the premises is of paramount importance. With garbage and refuse strewn all-over and with all sorts of foul smells pervading the atmosphere, the junction smells, sounds and feels like anything but an important railway station! From the looks of it, the station is being spruced up with a fresh coat of paint. But the gigantic scaffoldings erected at different points on the platforms is nobody’s idea of comfort in a busy station. It is causing so much of inconvenience to the passengers that in their interminable wait for monsoon-delayed trains, they are left with hardly any space to park their tired backs. Rather than undertake the painting work of the entire station at a stretch, it would have been advisable if the contractor was asked to take up the assignment in a phased manner rather than inconvenience the general public, and more so during the rains. The Konkan Railway authorities responsible for the work need to be reprimanded for this haphazard planning. Moreover it is apparent that the contractor needs to impart a lesson or two to his painters on how to keep the surroundings clean of all paint stains after the work is over. Every seat and available space bears as much of paint as the surfaces painted! Besides, the way the workers are toiling out in the nights, it appears that they are racing against the clock! Why allocate jobs in such a manner and what will be the quality of works thus tendered? Is the aesthetic beauty of the edifice designed by the famed Goan architect Charles Correa and refurbished by a few of Mario Miranda’s recreated works being sacrificed just for the sake of meeting contractual obligations and deadlines? The Konkan Railway authorities have much to answer for.