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Derailing lives

by S J Vaddakel

The impact of the Kadalundi train mishap is still echoing, not just in Kerala but here in Udupi too. After the tragedy, that occured in June, not many trains are plying through the Konkan railway between Mangalore and Goa. All the trains from Kerala are running via Coimbatore. The vendors and shop owners in railway platforms in the stations between Mangalore and Goa are the most affected by the lack of trains through this way. The condition of railway porters, telephone booth operators, taxi and auto drivers and the people who have taken the contract of parking area etc. are no better. The shop owners are left with practically no business and porters with no job to do. But most of them are forced to open the shops to comply with their contract to the Konkan Railway Corporation.

The only trains that run through the segment at present are the Matsyagandha express, Nizamuddin express and one passenger train, which is plying between Mangalore and Goa. Of these three, Nizamuddin runs only once in a week. So naturally the shop owners should survive with the meagre business they get from the passengers who come and leave by the two daily trains.

Most of these shop owners have given hefty amount for their shops in the platforms and as contract fee. The amount for setting up the shop comes as extra. “My business is down by 60 per cent. I used to earn around Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,200 every day. Now I earn less than Rs. 300 per day of which I get only 20 per cent as commission,” says Satheesh who is running a telephone booth in Udupi railway station. For last six to eight weeks after trains stopped running he is not even able to pay the installments of the loan he has taken from a private finance. “If it goes like this I will never be able to recover the money I have invested,” says the booth operator who has spent around Rs. 80,000 for setting up the booth.

Same is the case with any other shop in the station. “We took the contract which was given through tender. Now we can’t leave the shop like that,” says Ravi who is a worker in a stationery shop. “Our shop used to earn around Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 but now it has come down to a meagre hundred rupees”, says Ravi. “We can’t even make coffee and keep. There should be somebody to drink it. Isn’t it?” argues Harish who is a salesperson in Pooja tea stall.

The railway is not doing anything other than sympathising. “ Their condition is pathetic. But what can we do? Financial affairs of the railway do not rest with us. Senior traffic manager in the commercial department takes a final decision regarding these matters.” says Srinivas Shetty, the assistant station master in Udupi railway station. He refused to make any further comment on the issue.

Even the taxi drivers and owners are affected. 15 to 20 taxis operate from the Udupi station premises and most of their daily collections have decreased drastically. “ We don’t have any other place to operate from. Udupi town is so full of taxis that it’s difficult to find a place for parking also. We are forced to continue here even if we don’t have any business and sometimes we move the vehicle once in two or three days,” laments Prakash, a taxi driver.

Jayanth Shetty who has taken the contract for the parking area paid Rs. 55,000 as the contract fee and another Rs. 10,000 as security deposit. He used to earn Rs. 600 per day but now he gets just Rs. 250, which is just enough for paying the wages of his daily workers.

There is no sign of railways restarting their operations through this way before October. For all we know, it may get delayed further due to rains. In either case the railways has nothing to lose.

The inconvenience and loss of money is for the public and a whole lot of people who depend on railways for their daily bread.