the goan I network
MARGAO
Is the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) equipped to fight the Coronavirus as with its railway stations in the State, including the Margao railway station connected to most parts of the country?
A visit to the Margao railway station on Friday did not show any discernible activity on the Coronavirus, except that a pamphlet was found displayed in a notice board put up near the office of the Station master, throwing up questions whether the Margao railway station is equipped to meet the situation.
This question has come to the fore, more so with reports of cases showing a rise in the state of Kerala, which is linked to Goa and Margao by the train network. When The Goan contacted, KRC Dy general Manager, Public Relations, Baban Ghatge to shed light on the steps initiated by the KRC to fight the Coronavirus, he said the railway stations make routine announcements on the precautions that need to be taken by the passengers and the people in general.
“Due to fund constraints, we are handicapped to deploy screening facilities at the Margao railway station”, Ghatge said. He, however, added that the stations have put in place the public announcement systems to make the passengers aware of the virus.
To another question, he said a quarantine unit is being set up at the community hall of the KRC to house the suspected patients before they are shifted to the GMC. “We have a doctor at the KRC colony, who has been designated to respond to emergency calls on the virus”, he added.
Ghatge pointed out that there’s no screening facility in place to screen the patients arriving at the Margao railway station from other states. “We are trying to put the quarantine unit in place as well
display precautionary measures that patients are required to take while travelling by trains”, he added.
