East Central Railway has stepped up Chhath railway preparations at eight stations in Bihar, with General Manager Dimpy Garg inspecting passenger facilities, holding areas, crowd-management arrangements, drinking water and cleanliness measures on Friday.
The inspection covered Sonpur, Hajipur, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Sakri, Jaynagar, Jhanjharpur and Madhubani stations. The review focused on arrangements intended to support the movement and safety of passengers travelling during the Chhath festival.
Garg inspected holding areas created at the stations and reviewed the passenger facilities available there. These areas are being developed to provide passengers with an organised place to wait before their trains arrive and before they enter the platforms.
East Central Railway said arrangements have been made at major stations to manage crowds and provide additional passenger facilities during the festival period. The railway is also working to maintain the continuity of essential facilities on trains and at stations while ensuring smooth train operations.
During the inspection, Garg reviewed station premises, passenger movement, crowd management, holding areas, drinking-water arrangements, cleanliness and other facilities. Railway officials were directed to ensure that the required arrangements remain available and functional for passengers.
The holding areas are intended to regulate passenger movement between the station building and platforms. According to the railway, adequate arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of passengers from these waiting areas to the station building and platforms.
The preparations place station-level crowd control at the centre of the festival travel plan. For passengers, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on how consistently waiting areas, access routes, water facilities, sanitation and platform entry are managed during periods of heavy movement.
The inspection was attended by Amit Saran, Divisional Railway Manager of the Sonpur division, and Jyoti Prakash Mishra, Divisional Railway Manager of the Samastipur division, within their respective jurisdictions. East Central Railway said it would continue preparations related to passenger convenience, crowd management, safety and uninterrupted train operations during Chhath.
