Travel nightmare: Mosquito menace haunts Charlapalli railway station
HYDERABAD: Every evening, as trains arrive at Charlapalli Railway Station on Hyderabad’s outskirts, passengers step onto the platform and are met not by the bustle of porters or vendors, but by swarms of mosquitoes. What should be a simple journey has become a daily ordeal, with commuters sounding the alarm about a mosquito invasion that railway authorities have let spiral out of control. Instead of safe passage, travelers now face a nightmare that threatens to unleash outbreaks of dengue and malaria.
When this correspondent visited the Charlapalli Railway station, one could witness that at least a dozen mosquito nets were sprawled across the station premises. Some of these were set up by long distance passengers, who have come prepared, anticipating the inevitable mosquito attack, even for a shorter stay at this station.
In recent days, social media has erupted with complaints regarding the same issue. Frustrated travelers have tagged the Ministry of Railways, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Health, pleading for swift action.
The picture painted is grim, stagnant water pools, sanitation is neglected, and pest control is nonexistent. All this at a station that welcomes hundreds of passengers every day.
Social media is now the last resort for desperate passengers. Shivam Kumar Upadhyay tagged the Railway Ministry, stating the mosquito menace at Charlapalli poses a serious disease risk and demands immediate attention. Another user, Bhanu, urged the Divisional Railway Manager’s office in Secunderabad to install mosquito nets on all platforms.
The problem does not end at the platform edge. A passenger travelling on Train No. 07165 from Charlapalli to Bhubaneswar reported that the train had already been delayed by over an hour, railway staff had no information to offer, and to make matters worse, the mosquitoes had followed passengers onto the train itself. “The mosquito issue in the station is extremely horrible for kids and old people,” the traveller wrote, capturing in one sentence what thousands feel but struggle to articulate.
Roushan Kumar, stranded at the station, sent an appeal directly to the Prime Minister’s Office, “Too many mosquitoes on the stations. Please give a good facility.”
The most pointed warning came from Shradhanand Arya, who flagged not just the inconvenience but the catastrophic potential underneath it. Tagging the Railway Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Railway Seva helpline simultaneously, he raised the spectre of Dengue and Malaria, diseases that kill, attributing the infestation to stagnant water and poor sanitation at the station.
🚨 @RailwaySeva @RailMinIndia @MoHFW_INDIA
Serious concern of Dengue & Malaria risk at Charlapalli Railway Station, Telangana due to stagnant water and poor sanitation.
Kindly take immediate action.#PublicHealth #IndianRailways pic.twitter.com/CIt7VAfXN9— Shradhanand Arya (@Shradhanand14) March 21, 2026
The voices rising on social media belong to everyday people, commuters, workers, students, and families. They bought tickets expecting safety, not a battle with mosquitoes. Now, armed only with their phones, they have become accidental activists, hoping a tweet will reach someone in power when the pleas at the station have gone unheard.
With complaints now piling up publicly, passengers are demanding urgent action. Their requests, which include regular fogging, proper drainage to eliminate stagnant water, and basic sanitation maintenance, are not luxuries,they are essential in any functional public infrastructure.
For those traveling through Charlapalli Railway Station, the journey has turned into a test of endurance. The moment for decisive action is now, railway authorities must launch thorough mosquito control, restore sanitation, and treat passenger safety as an absolute priority. Commuters are not merely requesting change, they insist on it.
