From: b sabha <bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com>
* 28 Aug 2016 * Mumbai Wi-fi is a necessity today, but I would have thought comfort was more vital than connectivity. [http://cache3-img1.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/docserver/getimage.aspx?regionguid=11556223-f41d-4c4f-ac85-c7cda1abec0c&scale=218&file=87332016082800000000001001®ionKey=2APx0G7I3eKwBq4O79lpbw%3d%3d]ILLUSTRATION: SHRIKRISHNA PATKAR We need basics such as comfortable benches and cleaner washrooms at our railway stations. Spaces along the tracks could be beautified and slums removed in such a way that they do not return. Stations should have lifts and better connectivity with arterial roads, perhaps through foot and road overbridges. Food stalls should be cleaner, their rates standardised and their offerings improved. Change-dispensing machines could be installed too. Stations could be beautified to reflect the culture and heritage of India. What we need first is a more pleasant journey. — Karuna Chandwani WI-FI IN RUSH HOUR? REALLY? When you’re on a Mumbai train in rush hour, the last thing on your mind is wi-fi. Travel in Mumbai is hectic and chaotic. So while we do admittedly need technology, it is much more important to focus on comfort right now. Who would even think of using wi-fi on a train in rush hour, given how super-loaded our trains are? Instead, platforms and railway stations should be given a facelift first. This would add a bit of cheer to the life of the tired commuter. Platforms could have warm lighting and decorative plants to make them feel a little more luxurious. Touchscreen kiosks for tourist could make travel more interactive and less confusing. Some care could be taken to keep the tracks clean and clear out the slums adjoining almost all our railway stations. Walls could have bright murals to bring a bit of happiness to the train commuter, and interiors of the coaches could be painted with scenes from Indian culture and heritage. More water coolers and perhaps a reading room could be set up. Soothing music could be added in the background, to soothe the harried mind. Travel in Mumbai is never easy and small changes could go a long way towards minimising stress. Authorities could perhaps tie up with private companies to bring about these improvements. — Savita Sakhrani WHAT WE NEED IS MORE SERVICES, FASTER TRAINS I have been travelling on Mumbai’s local trains since 1968 and I am happy to see it offer wi-fi facilities. However, what we really need is crowd management and accident control. At present people are falling to their deaths from overcrowded trains. The railways must increase frequency in peak hours. More services should also be launched from stations like Kurla, Thane, Dombivli and Kalyan on the Central line, Belapur, Mankhurd, Kurla and Wadala on the Harbour line, and Dadar, Bandra, Andheri and Borivli on the Western line. The long awaited Bombardier rakes should be put to work as early as possible to increase speed as well. — R Ramakrishnan FIRST FIX PLATFORM GAPS, MAKE SURE THE FANS WORK The government’s wi-fi initiative is welcome. Given the times we live in, the move seems an appropriate step towards modernisation. But there are more urgent issues that need to be addressed for the safety and security of travellers. For starters, the gap between trains and platforms should be fixed. It is putting commuters’ lives at risk. Millions of commuters travel in subhuman conditions daily. In order to accommodate more passengers, the number of local trains should be increased and they should have 15 coaches. The fans inside trains often do not work. The railways should make sure such lapses in maintenance do not occur. The toilets are pathetic. Authorities should focus on cleanliness and better maintenance by those hired to keep them clean. Such steps would actually make travelling by train a better experience. — Neelam NOT JUST RAIL, WE NEED BETTER ROAD CONNECTIONS TOO Providing wi-fi, escalators, overhead bridges, subways and other facilities to railway commuters is welcome. But what we really need is improved road transport between the Mumbai mainland and the outer western suburbs such as Vasai and Virar. When the trains stop for even an hour or two, you can tell just how dire this need is. It is not a good idea to be solely dependent on one transport system. Better public road transport along this route would also reduce the overcrowding on trains because, let’s face it, the railways reached their saturation point long ago. Instead, our government is planning a bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs 90,000 crore!!! Think what we could do within our city at just a fraction of that cost. — Shridhar Devadiga * 28 Aug 2016 * Mumbai * Abdulla Mansoor Das CAN WE REALLY AFFORD SUCH FRIVOLITIES? Though it’s a good idea to offer wi-fi at stations, is it really the most urgent requirement of the Mumbai commuter? Most people have data packs on their mobile phones, and anyway Mumbaiites are unlikely to hang around at railway station just to use free wi-fi. Instead, the government could have focussed on issues such as punctuality of suburban and long-distance trains; maintenance of signal systems, overhead wires etc, which have been causing disruptions daily and having a domino effect on entire rail networks. They could have built more waiting rooms, better toilets, and hired more staff to keep them clean. The railways could also have focused on making all stations wheelchair-friendly and more accessible to the differently abled and senior citizens, by installing lifts, ramps and escalators. Perhaps they could have set up medical rooms and hired doctors to make sure there is instant response and no needless loss of lives in case of accidents. We are not yet at the stage where we can spend money on frivolities.
