At Vadnagar, tea tales by trackless station and lack of jobs

The station has come up in a tearing rush, but there are no tracks for trains.

The renovation of Vadnagar railway station, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have worked at his father's tea stall as a child, was complete within four months, says Arvind Kumar, a civil engineer associated with the redevelopment of the station.

But the conversion of tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge is nowhere near completion. "We started in June and by September, work was largely over. We were made to work till 2 am. But I wonder why, considering there are no signs of tracks being laid. Even the construction of platforms, being handled by another contractor, is witnessing no such hurry," he says.

The facade of the station appears to have been given touches of a palace with rounded columns and latticed patterns. Two parking lots have come up, for two-wheelers and cars. Inside, there are sprawling waiting rooms, including some built exclusively for women passengers, all with central air-conditioning. There is an exhibition room as well.

Tourist destination

But the catalyst behind the ambitious redevelopment project is placed in a quiet corner. The single-tin stall, battered by age, which a local says was until recently stored in a warehouse, today attracts people from far and wide to this sleepy north Gujarat settlement, about 100 km from Ahmedabad.

The run-down structure looks like an ancient precious exhibit ensconced in a glass chamber, like in a museum, from a distance. A tiny signboard informs visitors in Gujarati that "Bal Narendra used to sell tea here".

It's not hard to find locals, including children, doubling up as tourist guides and apprising people of the significance of the structure.

They are of considerable help to visiting news channel crews. As Vadnagar votes on December 14, the race to get an exclusive shot of the tea stall is increasing by the minute.

Kumar says the station will cater to a broad-gauge line, which is coming up as part of the conversion of the Mehsana-Taranga Hill meter-gauge line.

The makeover of the station aside, the overall condition of Vadnagar troubles residents, who complain about garbage strewn roads, open drains and, most important, lack of jobs.