No water, no toilets, no tickets, just a blame game between railway authorities

Kopar railway station a crucial junction between Diva and Dombivli on the Central Railway network continues to languish in neglect leaving daily commuters grappling with inadequate facilities and incomplete infrastructureToilets not replacedOnce equipped with toilets at the Divaend of the main line the station lost these basic amenities when a foot overbridge was constructed Since then there has been no functional toilet facility at the stationEastside ticket counter at the Divaend foot overbridge built over a year ago remains unopened and nonoperational PicShrikant KhuperkarOn the upper platforms 3 and 4 which serve DivandashVasai trains a toilet exists at the Bhiwandi end of Platform 4 However commuters say it is mostly unusable and frequently misused at night raising safety concerns particularly for women and senior citizensDry taps no drinking waterWater taps have been installed on both the main and upper platforms but theres no supply from the KalyanDombivli Municipal Corporation KDMC The taps have remained dry for months leaving passengers without access to drinking waterTicket window not functionalWhile a ticket counter is operational at the Kalyanend west side near the station masterrsquos office the east side remains without any functioning facility A structure for a ticket counter was built over a year ago at the Divaend foot overbridge but remains unopenedAs a result passengers entering from the east must cross over to the west to purchase tickets If caught by ticket checkers en route they are fined for travelling without a ticket despite the lack of functional infrastructureWhen contacted Central Railway PRO Pravin Patil said ldquoThe Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation MRVC is responsible for the pending work Staff for the ticket window need access to the toilet and water facilities Until thatrsquos arranged operations cannot beginrdquo He advised reaching out to MRVC for updatesEscalator installation stalledAn escalator meant for the Kalyanend west side of the main line has remained uninstalled for nearly a year even though the equipment arrived over three years ago The escalator motor is reportedly faulty but the contractor has not submitted the required installation report Without this Central Railway cannot replace the motor or initiate cost recoveryThe delay particularly affects the elderly and physically challenged commuters who struggle without proper accessibility When contacted a local section incharge said that the concerned official has been informed and an update will follow once available Meanwhile Sunil Udasi chief public relations officer of MRVC stated ldquoCurrently MRVC is not carrying out any active work at Kopar stationrdquoCommuters Speak Out Voices from Kopar StationSaylee Surendra Shinde a regular commuter expressed concerns about hygiene and safetyldquoBoth ends of the foot overbridge are filthy in the mornings Beggars sleep there at night and litter the place After 8 pm there is no visible security The Divaend foot overbridge is particularly unsafe and often lacks lighting And most importantly there are no toilet facilities Even the condition of the upper bridges is poorrdquoNeighboursMaya Sanjay Kothavde another daily passenger addedldquoThe Divaend foot overbridge is too steep to climb especially for senior citizens and women There should be a ticket window on the east side of Diva Behind Platform 1 a large open nala carries dirty water from Dombivli giving off an unbearable stench It must be properly coveredrdquoMahesh Panchal member of the Kopar Railway Station Passengersrsquo Association shared his frustrationldquoWersquove been facing problems since the station opened There is no ticket window on the east side at either end Slums and beggars can be seen around the Kalyanend east side No traffic monitoringmdashautos park wherever they want RPF and GRP are rarely seen Commuters using the PanvelndashDahanu train in the evening donrsquot have proper shelter Toilets and drinking water are also missing Trains are often late and people wait 30ndash40 minutes in tough conditionsrdquoGanesh Kadam a longtime commuter highlighted the need for basic discipline and supervisionldquoBehind Platform 1 therersquos a huge nala with a foul smell Autos block the platform entrance dailymdashthere should be regular visits by the traffic department Even after putting up fencing at the lower platform people cross through it due to lack of RPF and GRP presence And still there are no toilets on any of the four platformsrdquoConclusionThough strategically located Kopar Station continues to suffer from neglect Commuters are forced to deal with poor hygiene missing infrastructure and inadequate safety With no timeline for improvement theyrsquore left waitingmdashnot just for trains but for basic facilities that every railway station should provide