October 01, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 1, 1429

LAHORE, Sept 30: There was a big rush at the Lahore railway station on the last working day before Eidul Fitr holidays on Tuesday.

Eid holidays begin from Wednesday (today) and most residents of other cities have already left Lahore for their destinations.

People started coming to the railway station early in the morning but the number swelled considerably by noon when schools and offices closed.

The five special trains to cater to the Eid rush, seemed insufficient keeping in view the number of people intending to ride trains to journey to their home towns to join families for Eid.

“I prefer going to my hometown in a train because road transporters always overcharge and misbehave on occasions like Eid,” said Javed Iqbal who was going to Khanewal.

“Journey through rail is comparatively safe,” a police officer told this reporter at platform No 4. “I couldn’t accompany my family this time but I am sure they’ll reach home without less hassle than the road transport.”

A Punjab government employee was complaining about the non-availability of public toilets at railway platforms.

“All toilets inside the railway station are heaps of garbage and broken and running water pipes have made the place stunk.”

Another passenger who only introduced him Jamshed, said: “The non-availability of toilets on platforms cause problems, especially for the elderly and children.”

The sanitary conditions on all platforms were far from satisfactory. Some 100,000 or so people visit the Lahore railway station, the busiest in the country, daily on an average and the number considerably increases on weekends and before and after such holidays.