Hubballi rly stn’s 2nd entrance defunct, commuters confused

Hubballi: Passengers at Hubballi railway station continue to struggle with accessibility as its second entrance on Gadag Road remains dysfunctional for over five years.
Many railway staff told TOI that the ticket counter and machine worked for just four to five months after the inauguration. "When lockdown was imposed in March 2020, after the Covid outbreak, they never resumed," they added.
Meanwhile, as the second entry is kept open, passengers unknowingly enter and are fined for not having a ticket. Sridhar Ganiger, a passenger, told TOI that he arrived on Gadag Road and went to the second entry. "I observed that the ticket counter and machine were defunct. When I asked some passersby, they suggested entering from the same entry and taking a ticket at the first entry counters. As I arrived on platform 1, a ticket examiner asked for my ticket. He did not listen to my explanation regarding taking the second entry and imposed a penalty, considering me a ticketless passenger," he shared.
Bhargav HK, another frequent passenger from Gadag, said that SWR has neither displayed any warning board saying the ticket counter is shut nor that entering from the second entry is not allowed. "Now we are taking a detour of about one km from Gadag Road to reach the first entry. If our train departs from PF 6, 7, or 8, we need to walk another kilometre," he rued.
It can also be recalled here that when Union minister Pralhad Joshi suggested officials start or terminate trains on PF 6, 7, and 8 on Sept 23, 2023, during a visit to the station, they said the ticket counter would go defunct if it was done so. However, now it has been revealed that the second entry is already defunct.
Union minister Joshi and Manjunath Kanamadi, CPRO, SWR, were not available for comment.
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The second entry was inaugurated in a grand ceremony by then large and medium industries minister Jagadish Shettar, Union minister Pralhad Joshi, and then minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi on Gandhi Jayanti of 2019. It was constructed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, utilising the railway's available resources. It was helpful for residents of areas like Keshwapur, Kusugal Road, Bengeri, Gopanakoppa, etc.