06 January,2010 08:35 AM IST | | Agencies
After their repeated pleas, since 1982, for a railway station fell on deaf ears, the residents of Taj Nagar village near Gurgaon finally built one on their own.
The Railways agreed to halt 14 passenger trains every day from yesterday after the villagers constructed the station at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.
"Seven trains will run towards Delhi and seven towards Rewari," an official release said. This will benefit nearly 20 villages.
The villagers had set up a committee and each resident contributed anywhere from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4 lakh for the purpose, Raj Kumar, a committee member said, adding they completed the construction within an year.
Upbeat over their accomplishment, the villagers started gathering at their railway station since early yesterday morning, much before its formal inauguration. Many bought tickets just to express their joy.
Several volunteers were seen distributing laddoos to visitors and commuters present at the railway platform during the inauguration.
Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh, who inaugurated the railway station, complimented the villagers.
He did not announce any grant sought for the railway station or the village, but advised the villagers to purchase tickets from the station even if they did not have to go anywhere.
"The Railways will upgrade the train halt to a flag station if it fetches them a monthly income of Rs 3 lakh for six months," he maintained.
