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Train man

Ketan Goradia plans to decongest the Railways and save lives. Good news is, the Railways are receptive to his ideas.
by Vrushali Lad | vrushali@themetrognome.in

Ketan Goradia (38) is not a railway engineer, he has had no formal training in how the Indian Railways work, and up till now, he had no idea of the level of persistence one requires to pursue government officials. But the Vile Parle resident, a civil engineer, has drawn up a set of comprehensive, workable plans to decongest the Western, Central and Harbour railway lines, which will save lives, prevent access to freeloaders and increase the capacity of all three lines by 100 per cent. What is heartening for him, is that the state’s chief minister is willing to let him make a 30-minute presentation, explaining the plans and their costs, to the Railway Board this week.

“Two years ago, I was travelling by train to Kalamboli, when a man fell out of the crowded train after Kurla and died on the tracks. I will never forget that sight,” Ketan recalls, adding that the incident shook him out of the complacency that most Mumbaikars are cursed with – that of thinking, ‘Bad things happen to other people’. “I wondered – what if it was me, who fell out of the crowded train and died? The Railways say that at least eight lives are lost due to train-related deaths every day. I thought I should study the problem and see if there was any solution.”

A voracious reader, Ketan set about studying the Railways’ existing plans and how tracks were laid, apart from commuters’ usage patterns. “Within a few months, I drew up a plan to decongest Churchgate and CST stations. The idea was to connect the Central and Western railways by a tunnelled network. We studied the timetables and which stations had the most congestion in peak hours. There was also a proposal to have a circular elevated Harbour line. All of these measures would reduce commuter congestion and most importantly, prevent deaths while crossing tracks.”

He contends that people cross tracks as “a matter of convenience” to get from one line to another, or to access another platform quickly. “Hence, it is necessary to prevent access to the tracks in the first place. We showed the proposal to the then Railways minister Dinesh Trivedi and railway board member (for Traffic) KK Shrivastav, who both said the plan was workable. I was sent to local railway engineers. But throughout, the feedback I got was that the Maharashtra government would have to pitch in with some percentage of the funds for the project. So I met then Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad, who said that the state would chip in with 50 per cent of the funds but that the proposal would have to come through the Indian Railways,” Ketan says.

Then Mamata Banerjee replaced Trivedi and the plan fell by the wayside. “But I was still studying the issue, still meeting with officials in Delhi and Maharashtra. I was lucky that I knew people who could connect me with the top officials in both governments and the Railways, or else I may not have been granted a meeting also. If I had gone from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, I would have been stonewalled at each step,” he says.

Ketan also met a lot of ex-Railwaymen, who gave him inputs and shared their delight that somebody was doing the things that the Railways should have been doing. “I studied world Railway systems, especially the one at Hong Kong, which has the capacity of carrying 80,000 people per hour, per line coming and going. In our context, this was possible only with a metro line. The present trains were not up to the mark, even the signalling was not perfect. A few motormen told me that they literally cry every time they run over a person, but what could they do? At present, the train can stop only after 180 metres once the brakes are applied. If a person suddenly appears in front  of the train and the brakes are immediately applied, they are still going to run over the person,” he explains.

He came up with two solutions to the problem – one, isolate the system in such a way that people cannot get on to the tracks, and two, the platforms should be designed in such a way that they don’t feel the need to cross from one to the other. “We drew plans where the trains were unidirectional, and not going from fast to slow tracks, which disturbs the overall efficiency. In all, we drew up plans for 20 new lines for all of Mumbai, which would make the city the largest metro system in the world, greater even that Shanghai. This would necessitate the creation of underground stations and new stations, as well as a complete overhaul of some parts of the system.” (See ‘What some of the proposals say’ below for some of the proposals).

His other findings were that the Central Railway suburban services were functioning at a maximum 23 per cent capacity, the Western at 32 per cent and the Harbour at 27 per cent. “Unless these peak efficiencies were increased, we would continue to grapple with problems of congestion,” he explains.

“I have met the Chief Minister, finance minister Jayant Patil and Supriya Sule, several officials of MRVC, the Railway Board, and all of this was possible due to the efforts of legistlator Vidya Chavan, who got me meetings with politicians. The CM has said that he will let me make a 30-minute presentation when the Railway Board visits the state on Monday (October 15). He is very receptive to the idea, and so is MMRDA, which granted me two hours for a presentation last week, so I am hopeful that the plans will be put into operation.”

He says that he is not looking for credit, and he doesn’t mind that his plans had to be formally proposed by the Railways. “As long as somebody – anybody – takes up the matter and tries their best to increase the efficiency of the system, we will not lose precious lives and time while using the Railways,” he says.

What some of the proposals say:

– Phase I will increase capacity of all three lines by 100 per cent. This will take two to three years.

– Phase II will allow metro and local train services to increase connectivity to the new areas of Thane district like Kaman Road, Kharbao and Bhiwandi, and areas in Raigad district around Nhava Sheva, Uran, Panvel on Panvel-Kalamboli-Diva route, etc. The Railways will coordinate with the state government, BMC, MMRDA and CIDCO, to create an integrated road-rail-metro system to ensure that the need for at least 15 years of integrated mass transport requirement is taken care of.

– Station upgradation with modern facilities and aesthetics.

– One wholesale-cum-retail market to be added to each station for each category of goods to leverage Mumbai’s present strength as a wholesale market.

– Creating a new world-class common terminus near Kaman road station for out-station trains, which will allow trains of WR, CR, Konkan Railway and south-bound trains to leave from this common terminus and provide greater efficiency.

– Hydraulic train doors and air-conditioning.

(Train picture courtesy mumbai.jbss.in)

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Ab bus karo

A point-to-point bus service aims to solve your commuting woes, when autos and taxis are just too expensive to hire.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The recent revisions in auto and taxi fares have probably sent your monthly budget straight to the cleaners. And nobody’s really willing to wait for crowded BEST buses to lumber up and take them on board. But come to think of it, buses are actually a better road transport solution – they take a lot of people from place to place, and they don’t cause as much congestion as smaller vehicles do.

Which was what prompted Siddharth Sharma (37), a computer programmer who is an IIM alumnus, to start rBus, a bus pooling company that allows people to take a comfortable, point-to-point bus commute to work. All customers have to do is inform the company that they wish to take a bus from a certain point to a certain destination, and the bus arrives with prior intimation.

“I started rBus because in our city, there is a demand for good quality transport that saves people time and which is clean and hassle-free,” Siddharth tells The Metrognome. “BEST buses are often overcrowded and slow. Our buses reach on time, and customers don’t have to wait long hours for them to arrive or reach the destination. Also, once you have booked a seat, nobody else can take your seat.”

Additionally,  each bus is fitted with a GPS tracker, and users are informed of the bus’s location a few moments before it arrives at their requested spot. “Time is of the essence in Mumbai,” Siddharth says. “Besides, people want a comfortable commute from their homes to their offices. The way we work out the bus allocation is, we first study the demand on a particular route. If we have about 200 people on a route, we hire about ten 20-seater buses. There is no compulsion on the commuter to take a bus at a certain time, we work flexibly around the commuters’ timings,” he explains.

The buses are hired from private contractors, and payment for the service is taken on a monthly basis. “A non-AC bus would cost the commuter Rs 1,800 per month, while for an AC bus, it is Rs 3,500 per month,” Siddharth says. “So far, I have a pool of over 165 registered users. When there is a demand on a particular route, I get a contractor who provides the bus for that route.”

He says that from the time he started the company in July this year, demand is slowly going up, though consumers are often finicky about the pricing. He says he even revised his original pricing – Rs 3,000 per month for a non-AC bus and Rs 5,000 for an AC bus – because customers found the rates too steep. “But there are also various people who are interested in availing of the service. I have queries from the CEOs of certain companies, who are very interested in this project, since they are concerned about employees reaching office late owing to delays in travel,” he says.

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New tariff cards are out

Get the new RTO-approved tariff cards for the ride of your choice and avoid being fleeced by autowallahs and cabbies. In the absence of recalibrated meters, you’ll know how much you need to pay.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Motor Vehicles Department has uploaded the new tariff cards for autorickshaws and taxis on its website; yesterday, the RTO-approved cards were issued to drivers of these vehicles all across the city. The ride you take today onwards might end in the driver trying to fleece you, but with tariff cards available for download in five categories, you really have no reason to be cheated on your fare. Get the new cards here.

Remember that all fares are rounded off; fares from paisa 1 to paise 49 are rounded off to a lower figure, while fares from paise 51 to 99 are rounded off to a higher figure.

Apart from the issuance of new rate cards, it turns out that the heads of auto and taxi unions in the city have issued “strict instructions” to their union members to “immediately inform the union if any member is using an unauthorised tariff card.” Speaking to The Metrognome, Shashank Rao, assistant general secretary of the Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union (MAU) said, “Ever since the government made the decision to hike the fares, we have strictly informed our men that they must procure RTO-approved tariff cards only. The new tariff cards have already come today (Wednesday, October 10), so all union members must have got them. Also, we have issued written instructions to our members that if they find anyone possessing a fake tariff card, they must inform the union immediately.”

However, he declined to say what the penalty for carrying a fake tariff card would be, insisting that “strict action” would be taken against such auto drivers.

Meanwhile, Thambi Kurien, general secretary of the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union, said that instructions for good conduct and the usage of the correct tariff cards and not rigging meters are always issued. “But we have no way of ensuring that they (auto drivers) are following these instructions. But since the RTO comes down very heavily on errant drivers, they (the drivers) have no option but to carry the correct tariff cards. Also, they know the consequences of tampering with the meters.”

Kurien – who broke away from the Sharad Rao-led MAU a few years ago to float his own union – said that the demand by both taxi and auto unions that meter calibration be postponed to next year, was not correct. “When the government agreed to a price hike, it was with certain conditions that all parties agreed on. One of these conditions was that all calibrations would happen within a period of 45 days from the rate hike. We will have to adhere to it.” Shashank Rao, meanwhile, said that it was unlikely that any autorickshaw driver had attempted to recalibrate the meter so soon. “We are waiting for the government’s reaction; we have asked that the recalibration be done not before May 2013 (when the next fare hikes will happen).”

A further complication to the entire calibration drama is that meter repairers and manufacturers are being coaxed by the transport commissioner’s office to finish the recalibration process within Rs 400, which these companies have refused to do. Generally, a mechanical meter is recalibrated in not less than Rs 600.

Meanwhile, A L Quadros, general secretary, Mumbai Taximen’s Union, said that the union members would strictly carry the new tariff cards issued by the RTO.

If you face problems on your commute

In the event that an auto or cab driver was rude, refused to ply to your destination, had a tampered meter inside the vehicle or had an unauthorised tariff card, call the RTO complaint helpline on 1800-22-0110, or fill out a complaint form to give full details of the offence. As per RTO sources, there has been a 20 per cent increase in complaints from commuters, for such offenses as meter tampering, refusing to ply, plying without meters, carrying fake tariff cards and demand for fixed fares.

“Commuters have three options – they can call the RTO helpline, or write a complaint using the RTO complaint form, or they can walk up to the nearest traffic cop and enlist his help,” said V N More, Traffic Commissioner, Motor Vehicles Department.

More added, “In addition to the existing penalties and action under the Motor Vehicle Act, we now register complaints under Section 120 of the Indian Penal Code against drivers and permit holders who tamper with meters or use bogus cards.”

Mumbai tweets on the auto and taxi fare hike:

@greyoceanblues: A Rs 35 auto ride costs Rs 60 now. Wow. #mumbai

‏@chin80: New Auto fares are soooo much! Rs. 25-30 more for same distance!!! Lag gayi..

@rickfare: @atulkarmarkar Hi Atul! The new fares have been updated on http://rickfare.com. Spread the word 🙂

@mysti: Download the new auto and taxi fare list from http://www.hindustantimes.com/farelist #mumbai

@htTweets: Mumbai’s steepest ever auto and taxi fare hike comes into effect from today. Here is the tariff list read.ht/T6n #ht

 ‏@Netra: Reminder 😛 : #Mumbai Rs. 15 as the minimum fare for autos & Rs 19 as that for taxis from Oct 11th : bit.ly/R5BDh8

 @bombaylives: Nice to see empty auto-walas, everyone seems to have moved to Buses. #bombay #mumbai

 

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Dear celebs, don’t endorse tobacco and alcohol

Maharashtra government to appeal to celebrities to stop endorsing products that promote addiction. Celebs can expect an open letter soon.
by Vrushali Lad | vrushali@themetrognome.in

The Maharashtra government is now going to appeal to celebrities – from film, television and sports – to not endorse products that promote addiction,  particularly among the youth.

Shivajirao Moghe, Minister for Social Justice and Deaddiction Activities, Maharashtra, said, “The youth are very attracted to film actors and sportspersons, particularly cricketers. Naturally, advertisers cash in on this popularity to sell the products that cause addiction among the youth. Celebrities should refrain from endorsing these products.” This appeal comes after a resolution to this effect was passed at the first of its kind, state-level deaddiction conference held in Pune last week.

The conference saw participation from a bevy of deaddiction experts, apart from state ministers. A total of eight resolutions, including this one, were passed during the conference.

Moghe, who also participated at the conference, said, “The resolution will now be placed before the state government.” He added, “I am going to write an open letter asking that celebrities do two things – one, that they should not endorse such products, and two, they should come out with ads that help in our deaddiction initiatives. They should actually do advertisements that tell the youth that drinking alcohol or chewing gutkha is bad for them.”

He contends that if youth icons take this essential step, it will go a long way in making the state addiction-free. “Celebrities exert tremendous attraction on the youth, so if they say a certain thing, young people do it blindly. The government wants influential persons like celebrities to make a positive difference to society, especially the youth.” Incidentally, stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Marathi actor Bharat Jadhav, Moghe said, have refused to endorse tobacco products in the past, while a daily newspaper had mentioned that actors Sanjay Dutt and Malaika Arora Khan had “vowed to stop endorsing” gutkha brands and tobacco products.

Early this year, the state government ran into controversy when, as part of its deaddiction initiatives, it proposed that the legal age for drinking should be 25 years in Maharashtra. Interestingly, this appeal could largely address gutkha advertisements, since alcohol is promoted through surrogate advertising. Additionally, Maharashtra banned gutkha consumption in June this year.

(picture used for representational purpose only)

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Unbreak your heart

Want to keep your sanity while going through a messy break-up? This city-based break-up helpline will help you move on.
By the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Are you going through a bad breakup; moping about the house in day-old clothes and thinking that all that was best and brightest about the world dissolved in one heartbreaking moment? Did you contemplate suicide, and then head to bed to sleep off the nightmare? Looks like you hadn’t heard of www.breakuphelpline.com.

“We started this helpline in July this year because we wanted to lend a virtual shoulder to those who had suffered a break-up. The plan is to help a person tide over the heartbreak in a month’s time. We thought that our target audience would comprise young adults, but we started receiving e-mails from older age groups and senior citizens too. It is the only help line of its kind in the world,” claims Ankit (25), the brainchild behind this site.

“The logic driving it is simple – when you’re going through a break-up, your recovery might be quicker if you reach out to a stranger rather than a friend who cannot always offer you comfort and encouragement,” he explains.

Ankit should know. Over a year ago, his relationship with his then girlfriend ended. “After three bad weeks, I focussed on myself again,” he remembers. “I love to run, so I registered for the Mumbai Marathon and started training in earnest. I love to cook, so I spent a longer time in the kitchen. Slowly, the healing began,” he says.

But it was in December 2011 that the idea for the helpline fell into his lap – literally. “I was at the Kala Ghoda Festival for a book reading. The author was an IITian, and I anticipated a ChetanBhagat kind of story, but browsing through the book, I read one line where the protagonistponders, ‘I wish there was a breakup helpline.’ That got me thinking, as a breakup helpline would actually be a great idea!”

He sounded off the idea to a close friend and two other friends and they all felt that such a site had amazing potential. “There is so much pressure on you after a break-up. Questions such as ‘Can you still hang out with the group that your ex hangs out with?’,‘At what point do you avoid each other?’,‘Whose side are your friends on?’all of this only makes the person go into a shell. We thought, let’s give such people a chance to talk it out, and help them move on by just being there for them.”

Starting up

The term ‘help line’ conjures up images of rows of telephones manned by operators all talking at the same time, and Ankit and his crew – Ayushman, Nainy and Sandeep – also toyed with the idea of starting a call centre. “We finally settled on the Internet to get it running. I designed the site myself, and we tested it from February to July,” explains Ankit, the face of the company.

Ever since they started, they received increasing numbers of emails every day, and from the unlikeliest quarters. “There was a 66-year-old who contacted us, as also a class seven girl who was heartbroken over losing her boyfriend, a classmate. Older people deal with extra-marital affairs, divorces. They insist on direct meetings, since they are not always comfortable Skyping or e-mailing, but mostly everyone e-mails us,” says Ankit.

Dealing with it 

Two of the group’s members are psychologists, so tricky problems are dealt with in a scientific fashion. But mostly, the four trust their instincts. “It’s about common sense,” Ankit says. “You see a problem, you get the details, understand where the fault lies. Then you tell the person what you think of the issue,” he adds.

But it’s not as easy as writing to them and getting a solution. “People are cagey about sharing personal information. We respond to every e-mail within 24 hours,but we don’t directly jump at the problem because they are already in a fragile head space and a stranger probing too soon will only scare them off. We start the conversation on e-mail. We let them build their confidence about talking to us, ask them to tell us what their hobbies are, what they like, and we initially connect on that level,” he explains.

Entering the person’s comfort zone breaks the ice. “We get an overall view of their background, after theytell us briefly about the break upwe ask them: ‘Why did you break up? What happened?’ At this point, we receive a four- or five-page e-mail where they pour their hearts out,”Ankit says. He adds that people want confirmation on their actions. “A girl may have broken off a relationship, but she wants to know if she did the right thing. We analyse what happened. The emotional turmoil has to be resolved before the person can move on.”

They also receive e-mails from people hovering on the verge of a break up. “A girl wrote in saying that her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend. We don’t advocate an immediate severing of the relationship because we are not jodi breakers. We ask them to talk it out with their partner, because communication is the most important component of any relationship. If all else fails, we tell them to move on from the person.”

A question of perspective

It’s not like opening a bag of instant solutions.“It’s a question of perspective. People who are breaking up or have broken up very well know what needs to be done, but they’re not able to get themselves to move on. We just ask them: ‘Do you think this relationship is workable for you? Do you really see yourself with this person in the future?’ It’s a hard decision to make, but it must be made, and we hold their hand when they make it,” he explains. Ultimately, he reasons, a person will do anything to get over the negativity he/she is experiencing, so he/she will go ahead with the plan made for them.

Want it done? Consider it done

It’s not just about answering e-mails or going on Skype to talk or meeting a person directly. “We’ve seen movies with people, gone out for art tours or wine tastings, even written to a woman who wanted to communicate only via written letters. Once a person in Gujarat wanted to fly a kite, so Nainy, who was in Kutch for work, bought a kite and went to meet him. Basically, they must go back to enjoying the things that they love.”

It doesn’t end there. Ankit elaborates, “After the one month of counselling is over, we send out mailers. We encourage people to even get back to us with new problems.” He adds, “Sometimes, we offer simple tips to get through the day, some easy things for the person to ponder over.”

Dealing with the negativity

The four have their own coping mechanisms to deal with the negative energy and emotions dumped on them daily. “I run, Nainy does suryanamaskars and Sandeep and Ayushman are big on yoga. Also, we don’t wallow in the negativity but we troubleshoot. At the end of the day, it is very satisfying to know that you are helping somebody take one step out of their current crisis. And it all becomes worthwhile when somebody writes in to say, ‘Thank you for starting this website,” Ankitgrins.

The help line, in short

– There are both free and customised packages, depending on what the person needs and demands

– The customised package costs Rs 2,500 for a month (please visit the website to see the services offered)

– Ankit, Sandeep, Ayushman or Nainy will deal with your case from start to finish

– Anyone from the country can contact the help line

– The team responds to requests and questions at any time of the day

– Be prepared to open up and accept that you have a problem. If you don’t, no amount of hand-holding will help.

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14th time lucky

Bombay Gymkhana thrashed usual winners Army Red to win prestigious rugby championship  after 10 years. This was their 14th win.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Bombay Gymkhana started the final match of the All India & South Asia Rugby Championship at a crackling pace. And they never let the pace dip, not once. Starting aggressively was the key, and it yielded a wonderful result – Bombay Gymkhana thumped title favourites Army Red 7-0, thus ensuring victory for the first time since 2002.

The match was played at the CCFC Ground, Kolkata, on September 16. The victory was Bombay Gymkhana’s 14th. Army Red have won the Championship five times.

It was set to be a tightly-contested match, and both teams did not disappoint. Bombay Gymkhana hooker Altaf Shaikh scored the first try in the first 15 minutes of the game and built pressure on his opponents, while Rohaan Sethna successfully booted the conversion. At the end of the first half, the score read: Bombay Gym – 7, Army Red – 0.

In the second half, both teams took their game up a notch, but with their tight defence, Bombay Gymkhana was able to hold off the Reds until the 80th minute. At the end of the game, the score had remained  unchanged at 7-0.

Bombay Gymkhana captain Nasser Hussain said, “We played Army Red in the final last year and the year before that, and in the semis in the year before that. We knew what we were up against, and Army Red left no stone unturned to show why they have been champions all these years. We were under tremendous pressure, but it was each team player’s commitment that saw us through.” He added, “This time we had worked very hard for the title, and our ‘attack by backs and defence by forwards’ strategy worked very well. Our forwards did a commendable job in holding the Army’s heavy forward pack for the entire 80 minutes.”

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