Model railway station Mugad sets benchmark for others

The Mugad railway station, 10 km from the ‘city of intellectuals,’ has achieved the distinction of being India’s first model railway station.

Buoyed with the achievement of the South Western Railway staff, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has not only commended the staff for their dedicated effort, but has also mentioned it in his Facebook account, that Mugad is the first model railway station in the country.

The minister has uploaded a 55-second video and also has a few pictures of the station.

He has mentioned that ‘A Model to Replicate: Mugad station in Dharwad, Karnataka, which has set a benchmark for other stations to follow, with 10 km of spick and span tracks painted red and white, a charming garden and lily, rose and Kakada flowers in and around the station.

Unlike other stations which invite the wrath of commuters for lack of basic facilities, cleanliness and other issues, this station looks attractive.

A dedicated team of SWR staffers have toiled hard to see that cleanliness and greenery are given utmost priority. A passenger who comes to board train here hardly finds any waste strewn here. A beautiful garden has been laid on the station premises, with 12 flowering plants.

As many as 10 km of the track is painted red and white. The tracks are cleaned twice a day so that no foul smell emanates from the waste that is dumped.

SWR is contemplating to develop Dharwad and Koppal as model railway stations next.

The staff clean the platforms and the tracks after passing of every train. Waste bins have been placed in the station so that passengers do not litter.

Senior section engineer Shafi Kazi said every day the station is cleaned twice, once in the morning and once in the evening.

A water purification unit has been set up here for the benefit of passengers coming here to board trains to Goa, he said.

SWR general manager Ajay Kumar Singh has given a cash award of Rs 5,000 along with an appreciation certificate to Shafi Kazi.