Lucknow: With a significant influx of rail passengers and devotees expected at Varanasi station during the Mahashivratri festival, the Lucknow division has completed all necessary preparations to ensure smooth passenger services. Under the able guidance of Divisional Railway Manager, S.M. Sharma, comprehensive arrangements for passenger facilities and crowd management have been implemented.
Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Varanasi), Lal Ji Chaudhary, along with Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Lucknow), Kuldeep Tiwari, and Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Devansh Shukla, conducted inspections at Kashi Railway Station and reviewed crowd management arrangements at both Varanasi and Kashi stations.
Key Arrangements:
- Passenger Shelters: Two large passenger shelters with a capacity of approximately 5,000 people each have been established at the first and second entry gates of Varanasi station.
- Additional Holding Areas: Three extra holding areas, with a total capacity of around 10,000 passengers, have been set up for devotees traveling to Bihar, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj. These shelters are equipped with water booths, mobile charging stations, temporary toilets, medical aid, and food facilities.
- Kashi Station Facilities: A lost and found counter, medical help desk, and a passenger shelter with a capacity of 3,000 people have been established. Additionally, 20 RPF personnel and extra ticket-checking and booking staff from the commercial department have been deployed for crowd management.
- Ticketing Facilities: Besides the existing ticket counters, nine ATVMs and twelve M-UTS machines have been installed to facilitate ticket purchases.
- Surveillance & Security: At Varanasi Junction, nine LED screens in the RPF control room and 118 CCTV cameras across platforms and station premises ensure continuous monitoring. Moreover, 240 RPF personnel and 95 Border Security Force personnel have been deployed for crowd control.
- Medical Assistance: Two medical help desks at Varanasi Junction and one at Kashi Station have been set up, with 20 additional paramedics on duty.
- Cleanliness Drive: Mechanized cleaning of platforms is being carried out at Varanasi Junction, while dedicated sanitation workers are maintaining cleanliness at Kashi Station.
- Passenger Support Staff: Ticket-checking staff, Railway Protection Force personnel, and volunteers from Civil Defense, Scouts & Guides are actively assisting passengers.
- Functioning Passenger Amenities: Various passenger services, including waiting shelters, help desks, lost-and-found counters, ticketing kiosks (UTS, PRS, M-UTS, ATVM), refreshment rooms, catering stalls, multipurpose stalls, cloakrooms, mobile charging kiosks, medical shops, ATMs, AC waiting rooms, baby feeding rooms, and toilets for men, women, and differently-abled passengers, are fully operational.
- Special Monitoring: The Additional Divisional Railway Manager is personally overseeing all arrangements at Varanasi station to ensure seamless passenger movement and management.
A well-planned strategy is being implemented to facilitate easy access and exit for passengers from the main roads to the station, smooth waiting arrangements at designated shelters, provision of essential amenities, food, and security, medical assistance for ailing passengers, seamless boarding and departure, and efficient ticketing services. The entire operational framework is being continuously strengthened and streamlined to accommodate the massive influx of devotees during Mahashivratri.
