THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When he took over as the Divisional Railway Manager, Thiruvananthapuram Division, on July 2, 2009, Rajiv Dutt Sharma knew that it wouldn’t be an easy outing. He was to serve in a place which was politically active and where the people knew their rights for sure. On the personal front, he was to live miles away from his family and had to get used to a cuisine which was absolutely different from what he was accustomed to.But now, as he is just hours away from bidding adieu to the Division to leave for Mumbai to take over as the Chief Passenger Transport Manager with the Central Railway, Sharma is happy that he can list many milestones from his tenure. Professionally, he has led many a development project in the Division. On the personal front, he has fallen in love with the culture and the temples here. Regarding the cuisine too, he has managed quite well with a North Indian cook and has even taken a liking for Kerala dishes, especially fish preparations and ‘payasams’.“Here, the politicians show an active interest in the functioning and activities of the Railways. Besides, the people here are very proactive. They react immediately in the event of any problem, be it late running of trains or any other issue. Since the road connectivity is not that good, a good majority of the public is dependent on trains,” says Sharma (an officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service 1982-batch), who has served in Western, Central and Konkan Railway.Soon after he joined, he was part of the team led by Minister E Ahamed which undertook the Jan Sampark Yatra in a special train from Shoranur to Thiruvananthapuram. “It was a big challenge. After interacting with commuters at all stations and getting an appraisal of the facilities, we were given a long list of tasks to be taken up.” And he is extremely satisfied that setting up of passenger amenities is nearing completion. Facilities worth Rs 30 crore have already been implemented in the Division. Notable among them are opening of new booking offices at Ernakulam Town and Aluva, passenger pilgrimage shed at Chengannur, extension of platforms at many stations and construction of new foot overbridges. Three non-rail head passenger reservation centres and 34 unreserved ticketing systems were also commissioned throughout the Division.“We are also happy that 16 new trains could be introduced in the last two years. The doubling work could be expedited, both via Alappuzha and Kottayam routes. I am also extremely happy that Kanyakumari station has got a facelift, with three platforms and three additional lines. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari electrification work is also going on in full swing.” But he has his share of regrets too. The Soumya-episode which sent shock waves across the State has been the most saddening, he says. “The Railways were put in the dock by one and all. That was a devastating time for me, personally. However, on our own, we took measures to strengthen security in the trains and now the Railway police personnel man ladies’ compartments from 6 am to 6 pm.” Another taxing time was handling the rail traffic disruption following landslides and goods train derailment. Sharma, a native of Himachal Pradesh but a Mumbaikar for nearly 15 years, couldn’t hide his happiness reuniting with his family. “I was staying here alone. It was not easy living away from my family (comprising wife Neelam, a teacher, and daughters Megha and Suhani). They used to come during vacations. Initially, the food was a big problem. Because, I was not used to having food cooked in coconut oil. Also, you use so much chillies! Later on, I got a North Indian guy to make food. But I do love this place, especially the temples.”
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