The usual hustle and bustle at Secunderabad railway station on the eve of Dasara was sorely missing this year. Entry into the railway station was restricted to people carrying a ticket. While there was a constant flow of passengers, the premises outside the station wore a deserted look and the otherwise busy parking lot had sparse vehicles.
In previous years, people in Hyderabad used to head to their native places in the run-up to Dasara, due to which all means of transport overflowed with passengers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed all that.
Since entry into the station was restricted only to passengers, family members and friends zipped away after dropping them off at the entrances. Platform tickets too were not sold. So, the option of sending off family or friends till the train departed was not an option.
“We opened the parking lot after over seven months. But not many people are parking their vehicles here,” said a man who issues parking tickets near the main entrance of Secunderabad Railway Station. The parking lot at the second entrance of the railway station is closed.
Earlier, South Central Railway officials had said that no passenger should come to the stations without a confirmed ticket. Authorities thoroughly checked whether passengers wore masks and maintained physical distancing.
Holding bags and wearing backpacks, people showed either a hard copy or digital copy of their tickets to gain entry. This, after sanitising their hands. Staff holding the sanitisers chased passengers, who were in hurry, to clean their hands.
