Khagaul-Bihta road construction causes traffic chaos at Danapur railway station

Patna: The ongoing construction of the 21-km-long Khagaul-Bihta elevated road has turned the area around Danapur railway station into a major traffic bottleneck, causing severe hardships for local residents and passengers alike.

With a daily footfall of over 50,000 passengers, Danapur station is one of the busiest in the region. However, the station area is grappling with frequent traffic jams, inadequate parking and severe congestion during peak hours due to the ongoing construction works.

Taking the matter seriously, the Bihar Daily Passengers’ Association recently submitted a memorandum to the Danapur administration, demanding the creation of ‘speed breakers’ and 24x7 traffic control as the Danapur station is located on the NH route. Besides, movement of heavy vehicles, along with regular vehicular traffic, has made it extremely risky for commuters to cross the road near the station, said the association's general secretary Shoaib Quaraishi.

“Crossing the road has become a nightmare. There are no traffic personnel to manage the chaos, while the dust and noise add to our troubles,” a local resident Rashmi Prasad said, adding that several road mishaps had taken place near Danapur station in the past few months.

Adding to the commuters’ woes, basic passenger amenities at the station are falling short. The lone lift installed at platform number 1 is still not functioning for several months, making it difficult for elderly and physically challenged passengers to access the platforms, the Bihar ex-servicemen association (officers) president Col V K Singh said, adding that the coach indication boards on platforms 4 and 5 have also become sometimes non-functional, leaving passengers clueless about train coach positions.

Parking remains another major concern. In the absence of a dedicated pick-and-drop facility, vehicles often clog the already narrow station approach road. A small space near the station, which could serve as a drop-off point, is reportedly encroached upon by autorickshaws, a daily commuter Arvind Kumar said.

According to the Danapur RPF inspector P K Burnwal, all possible efforts were being made to streamline the heavy flow of traffic movements passing through the station area. “The Danapur RPF post registered several cases against autorickshaw drivers for wrong parking and causing disruption in traffic movements,” he said.