Passengers Slam Pune Railway Station: ₹15 Crores In Ad Revenue, Yet Beggars, Poor Infrastructure, And Safety Issues Persist | FPJ Photo
While Pune railway station has collected a sum of ₹15.022 crores in just 2 years from commercial publicity and advertisements, passengers allege that the basic amenities at the station remain inadequate, with poor infrastructure, limited seating, and a lack of basic safety measures.
Several parts of the station’s waiting areas were overcrowded with beggars and drunk individuals. Moreover, disabled and senior citizens are often forced to sit on the floor due to the shortage of benches.
Passengers speak up
Raj Pathare, a passenger heading to Bhopal, said, “Every time I come here, I see new hoardings and LED displays. But there’s barely any improvement in passenger facilities. We are expected to tolerate discomfort while the station authority focuses on generating revenue from flashy advertisements. It’s good to earn, but at least passengers should benefit from those earnings.”
Meenakshi Kadam, who frequently travels from Pune to Mumbai, said, “The inadequate presence of security personnel has made many parts of the railway premises unsafe, creating an open invitation for drunkards, thieves, snatchers, beggars, and criminals to loiter there.”
Another commuter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “At platform 1, there’s only one scanner machine installed. I’ve noticed that most of the time, it’s not functional. No one follows the rules due to the huge crowd, and only one RPF personnel is deployed at the scanner machine. The railway administration needs to install more scanner machines and increase the security staff to handle the crowd. Otherwise, it’s a waste of public money.”
Raghuveer Patil highlighted the rising number of illegal food vendors on the railway platforms and at the entrance of the premises. “There is no guarantee of hygienic food there. People are struggling to cross the road to get to the station due to encroachments by illegal stalls and vendors.”
Railways say this
Hemant Bahera, speaking to the Free Press Journal, said, “We have given instructions to the Railway Police Force and Government Railway Police to clear the platforms of drunkards and beggars. Additionally, we are consistently taking action against the illegal vendors in the railway premises. Soon the station will be renovated, and things will be sorted.”
Revenue from Commercial Publicity (Advertising) Pune Division
FY 2023-24: ₹1019.39 lakhs
FY 2024-25: ₹1082.94 lakhs
Revenue from Commercial Publicity (Advertising) Pune Station
FY 2023-24: ₹713.57 lakhs
FY 2024-25: ₹788.72 lakhs
