GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO: Margao Konkan railway station’s luggage scanner and the metal detectors might have lying idle for want of manpower to man these security equipments.
But, it now appears that there’s no police manpower around the station even to keep at bay illegal hawkers doing brisk business right on the railway footbridge, which also comes in handy for migrants to take shelter anytime of the day.
In fact, it’s not uncommon to find 2-3 vendors doing brisk business right on the footbridge slope touching the Aquem side of the Margao railway under the nose of the authorities. Passengers often make a beeline to these hawkers, attracted by the items on sale such as mobile chargers, chargeable torches and a host of electronic items. That’s not all. The footbridge slope also comes in handy for unknown persons as a make shift accommodation right under the nose of the Konkan Railway and police authorities.
When the situation was brought to the notice of the local Margao municipal councillor, Sangeeta Audi, she admitted that footbridge has come in handy for hawkers and unknown persons to do business, but hastened to add that the footbridge falls in the jurisdiction of the Konkan Railway Corporation. “It is a fact that hawkers and others squat on the footbridge on the Aquem side posing nuisance to the passengers. But, the MMC is helpless as it falls under the KRC,” Audi said.
When Herald contacted KRC Sr Manager, Public Relations, Baban Ghatge, he said driving out illegal vendors and hawkers rests with the Konkan Railway police station. “Our RPF is basically meant to ensure security and safety at the platform and in the trains. The Konkan Railway Police station has to look into these illegalities. I will tell the KR police station to act in the matter,” Ghatge said.
A citizen Camilo Barretto said the presence of the hawkers on the Margao station foot bridge is indeed an eyesore and paints a negative image of the city and the state before the thousands of passengers who alight at the Margao Railway Station. “It’s surprising that these illegal hawking takes place right under the nose of the authorities,” he said.
