Expert's Take: Subhash Gupta

  • | Wednesday | 7th August, 2019

DNA, brings to its readers expert’s take, where experts from a variety of fields take questions and give ready answers to issues close to citizen’s heart. Our experts will take your questions and offer their expertise. Today we bring to you our expert’s take on issues faced by rail commuters. Yes, it is true that senior citizens and physically challenged train passengers face issues not just during train travel but also at railway stations and terminuses. This can be replicated at all terminus stations like CSMT, Kurla, Mumbai Central, Dadar, and Bandra Terminus apart from other major stations.

DNA, brings to its readers expert’s take, where experts from a variety of fields take questions and give ready answers to issues close to citizen’s heart. Our experts will take your questions and offer their expertise. Today we bring to you our expert’s take on issues faced by rail commuters. Senior citizens are the ones who form a considerable percentage of travellers. However not much is done for them. What are the kind of complaints you get from this section of rail travellers? Yes, it is true that senior citizens and physically challenged train passengers face issues not just during train travel but also at railway stations and terminuses. For instance one of the most common complaints from them – both senior citizens and physically challenged – is the availability of wheelchairs at railway stations and platforms. Whenever they call me or we meet, they raise this point that rail officials are not available on their seats and lower-rung employees do not give them wheeler chairs without permission. Then I have to call up the station master of the terminus asking to provide the passenger. I have found that there are few helpline boards displayed at platforms. How is your passenger association dealing with the rail authorities on this? We have been demanding from both Central and Western Railways asking them to chart a list of phone numbers where people can call for any problem they face. This board can be right outside the station master office or ticket booking counters. This will reduce complaints. This can be replicated at all terminus stations like CSMT, Kurla, Mumbai Central, Dadar, and Bandra Terminus apart from other major stations. Also, there can be solutions that railways can opt. For instance, along with the PNR details sent to passengers, a helpline number which will address the issues of passengers can also be sent. This way, prior arrangement for wheelchair or medicines can also be done before they begin travelling. Every monsoon, we find waterlogging on tracks which delay the trains. We reach late to office. What is passenger associations like yours doing about it? We have been having constant discussions with the rail authorities and also sending letters to raise these issues. We realize that during monsoon, commuters boarding from suburban stations, especially beyond Thane and Andheri face a lot of difficulties, especially during peak hours. The railways claim that they have removed considerable muck and garbage from rail tracks and those thrown by the slum dwellers next to tracks. However the work is vast and more needs to be done which otherwise is choking the drainage systems. Also, we cannot discard the rampant growth in far suburbs which has led to cutting down of mangroves, trees and eroding the soil. This is leading to water coming onto the rail lines which is on a lower level than the areas on its sides. (The author is president of Rail Yatri Parishad)

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