Jabbalgudda railway station slides into slow disrepair

JABBALGUDDA (Koppal district): No locks in office rooms; broken doors and windows; vulgar graffiti on all walls; gambling on the platform — this is Jabbalgudda railway station on the Ginigera-Raichur new railway line of 165km.
The station was inaugurated on April 1, 2017 along with the launch of the Hubballi-Chikkabenakal train on the newly constructed line. Jabbalgudda came onto the railway map two years ago.
Shivappa Chavan, a resident of Jabbalgudda, said: “The South Western Railway is not maintening the station or ensuring security is provided for travellers. As it’s on the outskirts of the village, we cannot keep a vigil on what’s happening at the station.”
Pavan, an undergraduate degree course student, said the station has become a gambling platform during the day and a den for illicit activities at night. “The Hubballi-Gangavathi train arrives by 12.45pm and the Gangavathi-Hubballi train passes through this station by 3pm. Ticket-issuing officials come and go along with the train. The SWR has not even deployed a security guard here” he added.
When TOI visited the station, a few persons were engrossed in online betting on their smartphones. “The station is a safe place for us,” they said.
Vitthal, a film technician from Bengaluru, said he’s been shooting a film at the hills of Jabbalgudda. “When we visited the station, we found all the rooms and walls defaced with vulgar words. We wonder why the railways spends crores of rupees to construct a new station but doesn’t maintain it,” he added.
Mahantesh Patil, a cab driver in nearby Koppal, suspects a prostitution network is using the station. “Many mobile numbers, allegedly of call girls, are written on walls here,” he added.
NTES not updated
The Ginigera-Gangavathi stretch is facilitated with only one up and down train (No.s 55927/55928). The National Train Enquiry System (NTES), the Indian Railways app, shows the train schedule only till Chikkabenakal. Though the train has been running till Gangavathi since March 4, 2019, this hasn’t yet been updated on NTES.
‘Action being taken’
Jabbalagudda is a halt station and railway staff is not deployed there. Protecting public property is also the responsibility of the public. The Railway Protection Force conducts surprise checks and will crack down on miscreants, especially at night.
Rajesh Mohan | divisional railway manager, SWR, Hubballi division