RAHIM YAR KHAN, July 7: The district railway station is devoid of all basic facilities despite earning handsome profit for the authority. At least 30 up and down trains halt at the station with around 2,000 passengers departing from here and some 1,400 arriving every day. The counter sale ticket is no less than Rs275,000 daily.

All the same, the second class waiting room has only two benches, mainly occupied by the addicts. The economy class waiting room has been converted into a ticket collectors' office while the upper class is only opened for the influential people.

The station falls into a grade two category, comprising three platforms with only 18 benches for passengers. Out of them, only 10 are under shades having the facility of fans.

The five out of eight potable water tanks at two platforms are without water for lack of proper cleanliness. The hygienic condition of the remaining water tanks providing the facility to passengers is not different either.

A thick layer of algae is visible at the base of every water tank. The dead birds can also be seen in these open water tanks. In the summer season, an NGO provides free drinking water facility to passengers but a stall owner resists it for he faces a sharp decline in his mineral water business.

At the time of inauguration of Karakoram Express, all the three platforms were reduced to size. Sources have said that the Sukkur Railway Division had provided Rs9 million for this purpose.

However, the construction work has not been completed even after one year by the contractor. Now, the already built platforms are being razed from various places to construct them again on account of use of the substandard material.

There is always a demand for increase in the quota of seats for the citizens of Rahim Yar Khan. The booking clerks exploit the situation and take heavy bribe from passengers to make available tickets to them.

Traffic jams can be witnessed at the main Railway Fountain Chowk at the time of arrival of two trains simultaneously. The traffic jam occur due to parking of several taxi cabs. The TMA and railway authorities have never considered the shifting of the taxi cab stand to some suitable place.

Beggars roaming freely in and outside the railway station are a flesh in the thorns of passengers. The platform No 1 is a permanent abode of these beggars during night hours.