WR rooftop traveller with burns taken to hospital on handcart With no ambulance on the spot and no railway cops seen at Mira Road, the man who suffered severe burn injuries was taken to hospital by fellow commuters

Ram Parmar mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 

    With no ambulance available at Mira Road railway station on Thursday afternoon, a commuter who suffered severe burn injuries while travelling on the roof of a Western Railway local, had to be ferried to hospital on a handcart. 
    That the victim, Vinod Kamat, 40, wastakentoUmraoHospitalbyfellow commuters and not the railway police, smacks of apathy on the part of the Western Railway cops. 
    What’s more, it was the hospital authorities who informed the Government Railway Police, Vasai, about the incident. 
    It was the second mishap at Mira Road-Bhayandar within 24 hours. WhileKamatisrecoveringinhospital, the other accident claimed the life of a collegian, Ali Akbar Mohammed Husain, 20, who succumbed to injuries after hitting an electric pole near Bhayandar on Wednesday evening. 
    Around noon on Thursday, commuter Vinod Kamat — details of him are not immediately known — was travelling on the rooftop of a Virar bound local when he came in contact with the overhead high tension wires near Mira Road and suffered 60% burns. 
    With no ambulance on the spot and no railway personnel making any alternative arrangements for one, fellow passengers took Kamat on a handcart and admitted him to Umrao Hospital at Mira Road, where he is responding to treatment. 
    WR Sr PRO Nitin David, however, toldMirror,“ThestaffatMiraRoaddid try to contact Umrao Hospital, but the number was unreachable.” 
    And PRO Sunil Singh said, “We have made provisions for an NGO ambulance to be parked at all stations. Perhaps, at the time of the incident, the ambulance was on another call. I will have to check before I can make a comment.” 
    According to WR, at least six GRP constables and six RPF officers should havebeenondutyatMiraRoad.Atthe time of the incident, however, no uniformedpersonnelwasseenatthespot. AnofficialsaidtheVasaiGRPhaveregistered a case of an accident and are investigating. 
COLLEGIAN DIES AFTER HITTING 
ELECTRIC POLE AT BHAYANDAR In the earlier mishap, collegian Husain,aresidentofBhayandar(W),diedafterhittingapolewhileleaningoutof the train late Wednesday evening. His friend Paras Chheda, 20, a resident of Golden Nest area in Bhayandar (E), who tried to stop him from falling, alsosufferedinjuriesandisadmittedina Borivali hospital. 
    Husain and his friends, who are students of M K College, Borivali, had caught the 17:34 Virar local and were returning home. As the train neared Bhayandar, Husain hit a pole and fell tothetracks.Chhedawhotriedtosave him, lost his balance and also fell. 
    While Husain died on the spot, his other friends took Chheda to Borivali’s Kasturi Hospital where, according to Dr Rajeev Agrawal, he suffered head injuries and is serious.

Vinod Kamat suffered burns while travelling atop a local on Thursday afternoon

High drama at Dadar as passenger, ticket-checker fight it out on tracks

Aditya.Anand @timesgroup.com TWEETS @anandaditya 

    An unidentified commuter travelling in the handicapped compartment of a Borivali-bound local caused high drama while giving railway and police officials the slip and roughing up a TC on tracks at Dadar. WR spokesperson Nitin David told Mirror that the railways were conducting a drive against ticketless and irregulartravellersbetweenDadarandAndheri when the incident occurred on Thursday. 
According to officials, the commuter got off the handicapped compartmentandwhenstoppedbyaTC,jumped onto the tracks after the train had passed. He then leaped over the barrier between two tracks, and started to flee. 
    However, Vivek Rai, a TC who was on the opposite platform as part of the drive, saw what had happened. He jumped onto the tracks in hot pursuit, managing to get his hands on the commuter. But the latter turned on Rai, yanking at his shirt and raining blows on him. He then broke free by pushing Rai to the ground, and fled. Rai picked up stones and hurled them after him, but the unidentified passenger made good his escape. 
    According to officials, there were closeto30railwayofficialsandRailway Protection Force (RPF) staff on duty at 11:30 am when the incident occurred near platform No 5 of Dadar. They said they are viewing CCTV footage in a bid to identify the commuter. 
    Altogether, WR had 178 officials and 40 RPF constables at stations between Dadar and Andheri during the drive that lasted till 6 pm on Thursday. 
    “Over 1,800 cases of ticketless and irregular travel were detected till 6 pm and Rs 4 lakh collected as fines,” David said. Divisional Railway Manager (Mumbai Division) Shailendra Kumar said, “In October, 1,72,155 cases of ticketless/irregular travel were detected resulting in recovery of Rs 669.93 lakh.”

The commuter leaps on the tracks and TC Vivek Rai follows…

Rai bends down and picks up stones after the commuter breaks free…

Rai hurls the stones at the fleeing commuter

But the unidentified commuter manages to escape

As Western Line loses its hard-earned reputation of clock-work efficiency WR ready with Rs 40-cr plan to eliminate delays Bottlenecks have been identified at Borivali, Andheri and Dadar. Work to resolve these starts in month’s time

Virat A Singh virat.singh@timesgroup.com 

TWEETS @singhvirat246 

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    The Western Railway (WR) has lined up three ambitious projects to cut recent train delays that have made the everyday commute a nightmare for lakhs of Mumbaikars. 
    The suburban network, which until last year prided itself on its punctuality, has been facing 10 to 20-minute delays since March, when it increased the number of services. The delays result from a host of bottlenecks exposed by the increased frequency, from complex track alignment, narrow platforms to outdated signalling. 
    Now, railway officials have decided to solve the problems at three major stations — Borivali, Andheri and Dadar — as part of what they are calling one of WR’s biggest suburban overhauls. 
    The three projects will involve remodelling of tracks on the Dahisar-Borivali stretch and on Andheri section, and widening of a platform at Dadar, two major engineering challenges on a transit system cramped for space. WR BOTTLENECKS 
“We are finalising details of the projects that will help decongest the suburban network,” said Divisional Railway Manager Shailendra Kumar. “The work will be carried out over the next two years. The tender for Borivali has been issued.” 
    Among the city’s three train networks –– Main, Harbour andWestern—WR was considered the best, mainly because of its punctuality. That changed after it increased the number of daily train services from 1,051 to 1,305, and reduced the time between two train arrivals to three minutes from four. Now, 50 to 60 trains run behind schedule daily. 
    “Our main focus now is to improve the timings, so commuters are not inconvenienced,” Kumar said. The track remodelling projects planned for Borivali, Andheri and Dadar stations may begin as early as next month. The work will speed up movement of trains on these crucial sections. 
    “At Borivali, two south-bound trains currently cannot enter platform 5 and 6 simultaneously. One train has to wait,which has a knock-on effect on other services,”asenior WR official said. The problem is caused by the alignment of the crossover, the point where two sets of rails converge, before Borivali. “The shifting of this crossover towards Dahisar will speed up entry of trains at Borivali,” the official said. 
    A similar exercise will be carried out at Andheri and Dadar. “There are many crossovers near Andheri, which force north and south-bound trains to slow down,”hesaid.AtDadar, south-bound fast trains face delays because their designated platform, No 4, is narrow. Also, overcrowding at the platform forces trains to halt longer, delaying services. The platform will be widened after realignment of tracks.

TRAIN COLLISION AVERTED Motorman taken off duty after he jumps red signal

Somit Sen TNN 

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Mumbai: A motorman of a Western Railway train jumped a signal between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations on Saturday. Had the auxiliary warning system (AWS) not stopped the train immediately after the violation, it would have collided with another local that was switching tracks at that time. 
    The train left Churchgate at 10.31am and within two minutes, as it crossed from platform 4 to 3, the motorman, identified as Shaikh Ansar, breached signal 831 near the Marine Lines station. The local overshot the red light, coming in the way of an oncoming local, which 
was switching from platform 2 to 4. The auxiliary warning system (AWS), installed on trains as well as tracks, stopped the first local immediately, averting a collision that could have risked the lives of commuters on both trains. 
    While passengers said the train remained stuck on the tracks for 25 minutes till the signal was rectified, a railway spokesperson claimed the incident did not affect services. 
    The motorman has been taken off duty. Railway officials said on Sunday an inquiry was “still being conducted”. “We are trying to ascertain the reason behind the violation,” a senior official said. Sources said usually the motorman and the guard are both sent for blood tests to see if they were drunk. 
    Saying there have been very few incidents of trains passing a stop signal without officals’ nod, a WR official said they had “adequate measures to rule out collisions following signal jumping”. Under AWS, a motorman is alerted if a train breaches a signal. “Even if he fails to stop the local, the train automatically comes to a halt within 100m,” he said.

Wi-fi plan at CR suburban stns, on trains. As soon as a commuter with a smartphone enters a suburban station on CR, a pop-up will appear on his cell that will display the real-time status of trains (through trainenquiry.com

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—Manthan K Mehta 

Mumbai: Commuters can get wi-fi service at stations and in moving trains if railway authorities approve plans of a cellular firm, which wants to offer the technology by piggybacking on Central Railway’s initiative that allows real-time tracking of trains on smartphones. 
    A cellular firm has approached CR’s Mumbai divisional office with a proposal that will allow commuters to use wi-fi. An official explained, “As soon as a commuter with a smartphone enters a suburban station on CR, a pop-up will appear on his cell that will display the real-time status of trains (through trainenquiry.com). The commuter can use the service for say, five minutes, to track the position of trains. If he wants to use wi-fi for longer, he will have to pay for it.”

Family in stalled train takes shortcut, run over.“During peak hours, there are several long-distance trains which leave from CST and they occupy platforms. If an incoming passenger train is delayed and there’s non-availability of platforms, it may be moved to a loop line. Suburban trains would be given precedence over it. But under no circumstances should commuters get off and cross tracks.” GRP officials said that the Bhusawal PASSENGER is regularly SENT to the LOOP line where it HALTS FOR OVER AN HOUR, prompting many commuters to get off and cross the tracks despite it being ILLEGAL.

Nitasha Natu TNN  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/10/19&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01000&ViewMode=HTML Mumbai: Three members of a family were killed on Thursday night after they got off a long-distance train and decided to take a shortcut across the tracks at Byculla. A suburban local knocked down Hussain Hawaldar (65), his wife Fatima (50) and daughter Zahra (22). The family had been walking adjacent to the railway tracks and not on them. GRP officials said the trio suffered massive head and facial injuries, which killed them on the spot. They did not sustain injuries on the rest of the body.      The Hawaldars were natives of Banswara in Rajasthan. They were visiting friends at Vasind in Maharashtra. Around 6.15pm on Thursday, they boarded the Bhusawal Passenger from Vasind station. The train terminates at CST. “At 8pm, the train reached Byculla and was halted on a loop line (which leaves a main line and then rejoins it later continuing in the same direction). Nearly 20 minutes later, when the train had not resumed its journey, Hussain, Fatima and Zahra decided to get off and walk down the short distance to Byculla where they had some work,” said senior inspector Surendra Deshmukh, CST GRP. Around 8.20pm, a CST-bound local hurtled in their direction. “The  trio craned their necks to get a better look. The motorman honked repeatedly on spotting the family. By the time he could halt, three bogies of the train had crossed the point where the trio stood. They were hit on their faces,” Deshmukh added.      The motorman got off and carried the bodies into the local. The train was detained for 20 minutes. At CST, he informed the GRP. Fatima was Hussain’s third wife. Hussain had two sons, Mohammad (40) and Murtuza (27) from his first wife who passed away. He then married a second time and had a daughter (Zahra). Hussain and Fatima were looking for a groom for Zahra.      On Friday, Mohammad and Murtuza flew to Mumbai and claimed the bodies. They are both employed at garment stores in Kuwait.      GRP officials said that the Bhusawal Passenger is regularly sent to the loop line where it halts for over an hour, prompting many commuters to get off and cross the tracks despite it being illegal.      A CR spokesperson said, “During peak hours, there are several long-distance trains which leave from CST and they occupy platforms. If an incoming passenger train is delayed and there’s non-availability of platforms, it may be moved to a loop line. Suburban trains would be given precedence over it. But under no circumstances should commuters get off and cross tracks.”  Youth killed A 22-year-old youth was killed while crossing the railway tracks near platform 2 of Ghatkopar station on Friday. The deceased hasn’t been identified yet. He was knocked down by a Thane-CST local around 12.30pm.

Prototype of stain-proof local train finally arrives

Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: The prototype of the new-generation stainless steel-bodied rakes finally arrived in the city on Wednesday, but it will take a while before these coaches are put into service on the Mumbai suburban network as they will first undergo trial runs. 
    The 12-car electric multiple unit is the first of the 72 rakes to be supplied to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) for both Western and Central railways as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II (MUTP-II) to modernize the fleet and traction system, and augment services. It can run at a maximum speed of 120 kmph, as against 100 kmph of the present Siemens rakes. 
    These new-age purple coaches are energy-efficient, have better seats, interior lighting and broader windows. The electrical fitting have been provided by Bombardier Transportation and are compatible to run on 25 KV Alternating Current Traction. The rake will be first introduced on Western Railway as it has already switched to 25 Kv AC traction, said a railway official. 
    “We hope to complete the trials as soon as possible so that inspection certificate from the Research Standards and Designs Organization can be in place by January 2014. We hope to get the two prototype rakes into service by March 2014,” said a senior railway official. Once all approvals are received from the commissioner of railway safety, work on manufacturing three-four rakes can begin by April-May 2014. All this is possible only if there are no glitches during the trial runs. 
    The much-awaited rakes were flagged off from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on October 1, and should have reached Mumbai in seven days, but the arrival got delayed due to the Telengana agitation in Andhra Pradesh. 
    The prototype was originally scheduled to arrive in the city before March 2013, but delay in getting approval for the designs and other technical issues pushed ahead the date. 
    The World Bank, which is financing the MUTP-II, had also expressed unhappiness over missing the deadline on delivery of prototype on several occasions.

STAIN 0N KHAKI GRP fleeces labourers carrying tobacco

Nitasha Natu TNN  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/09/24&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00200&ViewMode=HTML Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) has instituted an inquiry into an incident in which two of their personnel allegedly knocked off money from five Guwahati-bound labourers near the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) recently.      The labourers were found carrying a small quantity of tobacco, which is a banned substance in the state. The cops then refused to consider  their identity cards as valid on the pretext that they weren’t issued in Maharashtra and threatened the men with action. A scribe who witnessed the goings-on wrote to the top GRP brass.      “I have been intimated about the incident and we are inquiring into it,” confirmed additional director general (GRP) T S Bhal.      The incident took place on September 20. The four labourers work at a construction site in Pen, Raigad district. They wanted to board a train to their hometown from LTT. While they were on the path connecting Tilak Nagar station to LTT, two uniformed cops at a GRP desk asked them to halt. The cops checked their baggage and frisked the labourers. A small quantity of tobacco was found on them.      “The labourers declared that the tobacco was for consumption. The cops then asked them to produce identification. At this, the labourers produced two election cards issued in Guwahati. But the cops declared these as invalid on the pretext that the Maharashtra government hadn’t issued them. The labourers were dumbfounded as they did not have separate IDs for Maharashtra,” said scribe, N Pandey, an eyewitness. “The GRP personnel then threatened to take action against the labourers who pleaded with them. Eventually, they were allowed to go after paying up Rs 600.”      Pandey video-recorded a conversation with one of the labourers, Moti Roshan. Roshan said he and his coworkers couldn’t file a complaint as they would miss their train. Pandey then gave a complaint in writing at the stationmaster’s office in Tilak Nagar and also informed the GRP helpline.      For purpose of sale, distribution, manufacture and storage of tobacco, an offender can be prosecuted under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.      Senior policemen confirmed that a government-issued identity card from any Indian state is valid proof of identity.  KNOW YOUR RIGHTS  Government Railway Police can check your luggage on reasonable suspicion  You can be charged for carrying unaccounted cash or jewellery, arms, explosives, narcotics or banned items such as tobacco  The GRP is not authorized to check the contents of your cellphone      A government-issued identity card from any Indian state can be produced as valid proof of identity      If a cop’s behaviour is objectionable, you can file a written complaint at the nearest railway police station or the deputy commissioner’s office 1 2 GRP men accost 5 labourers about to board a train from LTT 2 They find a small amount of tobacco on them 3 Not accepting voter IDs issued in Assam, they demand a bribe 4 An eyewitness tells the group to complain, but they refuse

‘Stretches in SoBo, central Mumbai most unsafe on WR’

Nitasha Natu TNN 

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Mumbai: Stung by repeated instances of attacks on woman commuters, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has identified vulnerable stretches on Western Railway (WR). 
    Most of these locations are in south and central Mumbai. The RPF will be cracking down on drug addicts and beggars in these stretches. 
    “The most sensitive stretch identified in the survey is the Marine Lines-Mumbai Central belt. Maximum deployment of RPF personnel is being made here. After that comes the stretch between Mahalaxmi and Dadar,” a senior official said. 
    “Office-goers throng the Mahalaxmi to Dadar belt during weekdays. But the belt is not as crowded on Sundays and public holidays,” the official added.For its “zero tolerance” drive, train ticket examiners have been roped in. “We want to ensure that not a single drug addict or beggar is present at the stretches ranked most sensitive. We do not want woman commuters to feel unsafe,” said senior RPF divisional security commissioner (WR) Rajendra Rupnawar. Nearly 1,500 drug addicts and beggars were rounded up by the Government Railway Police on WR and CR lines after a US national was mugged recently. 
    RPF’s woman squads have been interacting with female commuters on WR and briefing them about the helplines and how it is necessary for them to intervene in case a co-passenger is in distress. “We are facing an urgent personnel crisis,” an RPF official pointed out. “In order to guard areas outside each ladies compartment on platforms between Churchgate to Virar, we need 765 men in a single shift, assuming that only 12-coach rakes ply,” he added. 
CRACKDOWN ON MISCREANTS RPF CAMPAIGN At sensitive stretches, beggars and drug addicts will not be allowed to remain on station area premises 
Train ticket examiners will be enlisted for enforcement 
WR’S SENSITIVE STRETCHES Marine Lines-Mumbai Central 
Mahalaxmi-Dadar 
WOMEN UNDER ATTACK Aug 18 
US national Michelle Marks (24) is mugged by a drug addict between Marine Lines and Charni Road stations. Rajkumar Tiwari (31) is nabbed in connection with assault July 27 
A nurse is molested in a 5.41am local at Mahalaxmi after GRP escort missed train.Commuters catch assailant May 2 
Acid is flung at Delhi native Preeti Rathi after she alights at Bandra Terminus. Rathi succumbs to injuries after month. Pawankumar Gehlaun is arrested and later secures bail

HC upholds 1.2L damages for railway mishap victim

Rosy Sequeira TNN 

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Mumbai:It is time to amend the prescribed compensation in railway accidents, said the Bombay high court while upholding a railway accidents tribunal’s order granting Rs 1.20 lakh compensation to a commuter who lost two fingers in an accident at Borivli station. 
    In 2003, Usha Kamdar fell in the gap between the platform and a train while waiting for a train to Miyagam-Karjan on platform no. 4 at the Borivli station. She was seriously injured. Her middle and index fingers of the right hand were amputated and she was under medication for a long time for other injuries. 
    Taking note of her injuries, on July 18, 2005, the tribunal awarded her Rs 1.20 lakh compensation, including Rs 80,000 as treatment cost and Rs 40,000 for pains and sufferings. The tribunal directed 6% interest from the date of the order till realization. In 2006, the railways challenged the “excessive and unreasonable” compensation in the HC. 
    Dismissing the railways’ appeal, the HC proposed the need for amendments to the Railway Accident (Compensation) Rules 1990 under the Railways Act, 1989, which was last amended in November 1997. “More than 15 years have passed without any further amendment as to prescribed quantum of compensation in respect of untoward incidents in working of railway administration,” noted Justice A P Bhangale in his September 21 order. The victim had filed a cross appeal saying the compensation awarded was inadequate. The judge noted that the compensation prescribed is restricted to the Rules, “discretion cannot be exercised so as to award compensation beyond the prescribed extent of those Rules”. 
    The judge added that in several cases claimants suffer permanent disability that may incapacitate them to work with full capacity and full ability for their livelihood and in cases of deaths, their families lose their bread-earner forever. 
    Upholding the railway accidents claim tribunal’s order and finding “no merit” in the railways’ appeal, Justice Bhangale “hoped” that the authority concerned will do the needful in this (amending the rules) regard.

Railway helpline ensures twins have smooth delivery

ANURADHA VARANASI and RICHA PINTO

http://epaper2.mid-day.com/showtext.aspx?boxid=14154152&parentid=207881&issuedate=21092013&edd123=mumbai

Commuters called the RPF helpline, notifying them that a woman is about to give birth in a moving train; railway officials arranged for a doctor and stretcher at CST station to take pregnant woman to Cama hospital

FOR a city not known for its coordination or response time when dealing with an emergency situation, especially while traveling on a local train, an incident on the Harbour line came as a pleasant surprise for commuters yesterday.

Had it not been for the railway officials, especially the Railway Protection Force (RPF), a passenger would have given birth in the second- class ladies compartment of a CSTbound local train. But, the twin babies said hello to the world from the bed of a hospital, thanks to the concerted and well- coordinated effort between railway staff and Cama hospital officials.

35- year- old Govandi resident Sunita Dongre, who was in her last trimester and was expecting twins, started developing severe labour pains while traveling in the train.

She, along with a relative, was making her way to the Cama and Albless Hospital in south Mumbai hospital after boarding the train at Govandi railway station at noon.

“ Sunita started feeling uneasy at home and we suspected that she could go into labour anytime. We immediately set out for Cama hospital in CST. After boarding the train she, however, started experiencing severe labour pains, so we got off at Kurla station. I asked her if I should take her to a hospital in Kurla, instead of taking a risk by going to CST. But, she was adamant and wanted to deliver in Cama hospital, as her previous two deliveries had taken place there,” said Asha Bohal, a relative who accompanied Sunita in her journey.

The duo boarded another train from Kurla. A few minutes in to the journey, Sunita’s pain increased, and her shrieks attracted the attention of fellow commuters. What transpired next was also a lesser- known side seen of the city’s commuters who have on several occasions in the past drawn flak for the disregard of fellow citizens.

A few commuters decided to call the railway helpline (1275) for help, and to their surprise the operator responded in the affirmative, assuring them that a doctor, a few lady constables and a stretcher would be waiting for them at CST railway station.

“ Taking her till CST was turning out be precarious, as her pains were increasing. The passengers swung into action, laying her down, and offered her comfort,” added Bohal.

When the train snaked into CST station, a site rarely seen in the city was observed — a railway doctor, few RPF officials and a stretcher were awaiting Sunita to take her to the hospital.

Smooth delivery

The railway official had contacted the authorities at the hospital and they were also prepared, waiting for the patient with bated breath.

After reaching the hospital, Sunita gave birth to two identical girls at 2.30 pm.

A doctor from the hospital said the twins are healthy and are doing fine and the mother would soon be shifted to the general ward. Sunita already has a seven- year- old girl and a three- year- old son. Her husband is employed as a driver.

Railwayspeak

Alok Bohra, senior chief security commissioner, Central Railway, said, “The help line number is set up for helping passengers and we keep doing such things regularly. Our staff immediately informed the deputy station superintendent and then he arranged the stretcher and she was sent to the hospital.”

(With inputs from Vedika Chaubey)

WHY THIEVES CAN SCAN YOUR LUGGAGE AT LTT

VEDIKA CHAUBEY

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In what is almost an invitation to criminals, the computer screens connected to baggage scanners inside Lokmanya Tilak Terminus give the passing public full view of the contents of passengers’ bags, as they are being passed through the machines

PASSING through Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) to catch a train? The safety of your luggage could be at stake, ironically because of the baggage scanners installed inside the premises. The computers connected to the baggage scanners have been placed injudiciously, allowing all and sundry to get a good glimpse of all the contents of your baggage when it is being scanned.

LTT’s new building was thrown open to passengers on August 15, months after its inauguration in April by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. Since its inception, the poor planning inside the building premises has drawn flak from passengers — amenities like the bookshop and drug store have been left behind in the old building, causing inconvenience to passengers and huge losses to shopkeepers.

Now, the placement of screens connected to baggage scanners has been causing uneasiness to passengers, exposing the contents of their luggage to the passers- by.

The new LTT building has three spanking new baggage scanners, which cost Rs 30.58 lakh each.

The officials, however, have placed them at ill- chosen spots, from where the screens are exposed to the view of potential thieves, who can get a good look at the valuables carried in the bags that pass through the scanners.

“ This is a serious issue and we have observed this and also talked about it. We have also seen people just stare at the computer screen from outside, and so we have turned one of the computers to make it face the ticket counter side,” said a railway official from LTT. He admitted though, that this measure is anything but foolproof, as anybody can observe the screen from the ticket window side.

The solution to the problem is quite a no- brainer. All the authorities have to do is place screens to shield the computers from prying eyes.

While thefts are common and frequent on railway stations, the ill- placed scanners are almost an invitation to criminals to continue stealing from passengers.

After the 26/11 attacks, the railway board installed baggage scanners at all important railway stations in the city. Under the Integrated Security System, all railway stations should have foolproof security systems. Hitech doorframe metal detectors, CCTV cameras and the bigger baggage scanners were installed to help authorities nab explosives carried into the station premises, hidden in luggage.

Atul Rane, chief PRO for Central Railways, said, “We are in the process of installing these scanners and will take care of the inadequacies.”

Corporator wants motorman cabin modernisation!

Tuesday, Sep 17, 2013, 9:51 IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Eknath Makne  

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1890002/report-corporator-wants-motorman-cabin-modernisation

A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena corporator, Deepak Pawar elected from Malad, has moved a notice of motion, seeking modernisation of cabins for motormen of local trains to avert rail accidents.

A notice of motion is moved to call the attention of the house to a certain issue that needs to be taken up for discussion. However, Pawar’s notice of motion has raised eyebrows as the civic house deals only with local issues, not with matters related to the railways which is a subject of the union government.

The motion reads: “Technical snags cause trouble to Mumbai commuters. Hence, to tackle such problems, it is required to set up modern disaster-tackling mechanism inside a motorman’s cabin”.

Civic officials expressed surprise at how this was allowed to be taken up for discussion at monthly general body meeting. “I wonder why the corporator forwarded the notice. What can the civic body do about modernising cabins of motormen?” said a senior civic official. “What needs to be looked into is how the suggestion came to be listed in the agenda in the first place? The mayor, who is generally kept in the loop, should not have entertained it.”

The corporator, however, justified his move. “Many Mumbaikars take local trains daily. It is a matter of their safety. If approved, it will be forwarded to the state and then to the Centre. If the house wishes, it can shoot the proposal down,” said Pawar.

The mayor said that the motion was listed in the agenda without his knowledge. Asked if he had not been briefed about it by the municipal secretary’s office, Prabhu said, “The department often keeps me posted about issues on the agenda. If the motion is not in line with rules, we’ll reject it,” he said.

‘Compensation for railway accidents must be increased’ The Bombay High Court made the observation in view of inflation and falling value of rupee

Sunil.Baghel @timesgroup.com TWEET @baghels 

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    An accident has forced the Bombay High Court to observe that compensation fixed for the kin of railway accidents’ victims should be increased, considering the inflation and diminishing value of rupee. 
    The observation was made in a case filed by a Borivaliresident,MadhuriThalkiya,wholosther husband in a train accident on March 30, 2001. 
    In a judgement pronounced recently, Justice Ashok Bhangale observed, “It is desirable that this limit of compensation of Rs four lakh, payable to the dependants of the victim of untoward incidents, is further amended reasonably considering relevance of the growth of inflation and diminished value of rupee, since the last amendment was made in 1997, to enhance the quantum of compensation amount to make it reasonable, fair and equitable.” 
    Observing that reasonable time had passed since the amount was fixed, Justice Bhangale further said, “If the victim was the only earning member of the family, the hardship is more acute when the deceased has left minor children behind, who need care and attention for their upbringing and education. The compensation payable by the Railway administration is liable to the prescribed extent only and not more.” 
    Itfurthersaid,“We hope that the rule-making authority concerned would do the needful in this regard to enhance the quantum of compensation reasonably.” 
    Setting aside an order passed by the Railway Claims Tribunal, the HC granted relief to Madhuri Thalkiya after 12 years. The HC has directed the Western Railways to pay Rs 4 lakh to the petitioner, along with annual interest of nine per cent, taking the final claim to over Rs 8 lakh. 
    On the fateful day, Madhuri was travelling towards Churchgate with her 30-year-old husband Anil and their three-month-old baby in a secondclass compartment. Her husband fell down between Goregaon and Jogeshwari stations. Madhuri, who witnessed the incident, pleaded with fellow passengers to pull the chain so that the train would stop. The train, however, came to a halt only at the Jogeshwari station. 
    As per Madhuri’s case, she then reported the incident to the Jogeshwari Railway Police and went walking with them to the spot, to find that her husband was dead. 
    Railways then refused to grant her claim for compensation, saying that Anil died while illegally crossing the tracks. To substantiate their claim, the Railways produced the memo issued by the Station Master, which mentioned the same thing. 
    The HC discarded the evidence given by the Railways’ witness as well, who had stated that he was informed by some unknown person about Anil being knocked down by a train and that he did not receive memo from the either the motorman or the guard of the local. 
    Recovery of two bonafide local tickets from Anil’s pocket too nailed the Railways. Observing that the “hearsay version” of railway employees was “clearly motivated to save Railway Administration from the liability to pay compensation,” the tribunal should have believed Madhuri’s version, said the court. 
    “Preponderance of probabilities was clearly in favour of the claimant (Madhuri). The liability of railway administration is strict,” the court observed, while passing the judgement in Madhuri’s favour.

The HC has directed the Western Railways to pay Rs 4 lakh to the petitioner

‘Most homes are dengue hotbeds’

Sumitra Deb Roy TNN 

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Mumbai: The civic body claims that 85% of breeding spots for dengue mosquitoes was either inside houses or some place very close to the homes of those affected by the virus. The BMC has therefore put the onus on citizens to curb the spread of dengue that has claimed three lives this week. 
    Aday after the death of Devendra Singh (41) from Malwani due to suspected dengue, the insecticide department has swung into action and carried out intensive vector control activities. “We found that a drum used to store water and kept behind his house was as a breeding ground. We found eggs of Aedes Egypti mosquito there. Near Singh’s home, there were six breeding spots,” said Rajan Naringrekar, BMC’s chief insecticide officer. 
    Before the Malwani case, two consecutive deaths were reported from Goregaon’s Shastri Nagar and Motilal Nagar. In these areas, too, Naringrekar said the breeding grounds were flower pots and petri dishes kept inside houses. At Shastri Nagar, as many as 21 breeding sites were found on building premises, including terraces. 
    Shastri Nagar resident Santosh Ghodke, who got discharged from the Siddharth Hospital after five days of hospitalization, said they found breeding spots near watertanks on the building’s terrace. He said around 8 others from his society, Jay Rajratna, were affected by dengue. 
    The spurt in dengue may not be restricted to Goregaon alone as doctors across the city say there has been a rise. 
    Over 400 positive cases have been reported. Compared to this, there were five dengue deaths in 2012. Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of deaths in the country at 31, along with 1,818 positive cases.

Check CR local status online in a month

Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: Central Railway commuters will be able to track real-time location of trains across the suburban network on a dedicated website—trainenquiry.com—or the pan-India train inquiry number 139 within a month. The information will help commuters alter their travel plans if there is a delay in or cancellation of a preferred service. 
    The project, which is nearing completion, will come as a relief to lakhs of CR commuters. The CR suburban network operates around 1,618 services per day on all its three lines—main, harbour as well as trans-harbour. 
    Commuters will not just be able to track a train’s exact location but also the preceding and following two stations. 
    It is the Control Office Application (COA) that currently monitors the movement of long-distance trains across the country in real time through a computer-aided interface. It was developed by the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS)—the information technology arm of Indian Railways. The COA enables passengers to track the movement of both scheduled and unscheduled trains on the website or on 139. 
    CR divisional general manager Mukesh Nigam said, “Till now, one can only track the movement of long-distance trains because the suburban network is not completely integrated with the COA.” 
    Nigam further said he was keen on this integration to capitalize on the use of mobile phones. Moreover, in a busy city such as Mumbai, commuters would benefit from updated information on trains, he said. 
    The suburban network is a challenging task, Nigam said, as certain stretches run on four corridors while long-distance trains operate on two. The average frequency of services on the main line is f our minutes and harbour line five minutes.

A FATAL RIDE ON A LIFELINE. Woman train commuter brain dead after falling prey to thief

George Mendonca & Nitasha Natu TNN 

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Navi Mumbai: A woman commuter is extremely critical after a robber lurking near a pole by the trans-harbour railway line struck her with a hooked stick, knocking her off a running train, on Thursday evening. As she lay unconscious and bleeding by the tracks between Ghansoli and Rabale, the thief robbed her ornaments and handbag and fled. Her colleagues rescued her and took her to hospital, where doctors said she is brain dead. 
    Aarti Gholapkar, 43, who lives in Dombivli with her daughter, was returning home after work at a shirt factory in Pawane MIDC. As the railway police’s escort duty begins at 8.30pm, there was no policeman in the coach. Victim’s colleagues say cops arrived late, family in shock Habitual Offender Detained, Youths Near Tracks Under Lens 
    A company bus had dropped off factory worker Aarti Gholapkar and her colleagues at Koparkhairane station and she and some of her colleagues had boarded the ladies second-class compartment of a 7.15pm train to Thane. 
    Gholapkar was standing on the foot-board as the train pulled out of Ghansoli station. “Around 7.30pm, an unidentified person standing near a pole struck her with a stick that had a sharp hook at one end to knock off her handbag. Gholapkar, taken by surprise, fell off the train. Finding her unconsciousness, the robber stole her gold mangalsutra and a pair of earrings worth Rs 26,000, apart from her handbag, and fled,” said a GRP official. 
    Gholapkar’s colleagues got off at the next station, Rabale, informed a motorman about the incident and rushed down the tracks to rescue her. She was taken to Criti Care Hospital at Thane and admitted in ICCU. 
    “Aarti’s condition is critical. She has sustained diffuse axonal injury to her head, due to which her brain has been severely damaged. She has internal bleeding in the brain and multiple haemorrhages. On medical grounds, she is brain dead,” said Dr Santosh Rathi, the neurologist treating her. 
    The motorman told the Rabale station master, who called the Vashi GRP. By the time the police came, Gholapkar had been taken to hospital. 
    The GRP has registered a case of robbery under sections 394 (causing hurt while committing robbery) and 397 (robbery or dacoity) and detained a suspect. “We have picked up a suspect from Mumbra who has been involved in similar offences in the past. We have formed teams to question youths loitering around tracks,” said P Karyakarte, senior inspector, Vashi GRP. 
    Gholapkar’s mother and brother, Abhay Kanekar, have rushed to the hospital from Chiplun. “Aarti has never harmed anyone and I can’t understand why something so terrible had to happen to her,” her mother said, fighting back tears. “The robber should be caught and lynched so that he never repeats something like this.” 
    Gholapkar’s colleagues Avanti Sahu and Gitanjali Bandekar, who were among those who took her to hospital, said most of the commuters were mute spectators and even the cops turned up much later. 
    In a similar incident at Chinchpokli barely an hour before the Rabale case, a robber hit three women travelling on the footboard of a crowded local with a stick and stole a cell phone. “Had the girl who dropped her phone not clasped the vertical rod at the coach door tightly, she would have fallen,” said a mediaperson who witnessed the incident around 6.15pm. No complaint was lodged.

Aarti Gholapkar, 43, fell off a train between Ghansoli and Rabale stations on Wednesday evening after being hit with a stick by a robber standing next to the tracks. As she lay bleeding and unconscious, the thief proceeded to rob her of her bag and ornaments

THE NEWS AS IT APPEARED IN MUMBAI MIRROR

Hook used to snatch CR commuter’s bag leaves her brain dead Horrified fellow travellers watch 43-yr-old fall off Nazia.Sayed @timesgroup.com  TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2013/09/07&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00300&ViewMode=HTML     Forty three-year-old Dombivli resident and Central Railway commuter Arti Gholapkar was left brain dead after a horrifying ordeal on Thursday evening when she was returning home to her daughter.      Gholapkar was standing at the footboard of a Thane-bound train that she took daily when around 7.30 pm the train made an unscheduled but not unusual stop between Ghansoli and Rabale. The mother of one was chatting away with her office colleagues from the Turbhe-based Shirt India Pvt Ltd where she works as a clerk. Unknown to her, a man armed with a fishing line and a hook was perched high on a pole just opposite her compartment. As the train halted, the thief flung out the line angling for Gholapkar’s handbag which was hanging from her shoulder. The fishing hook landed with such force that it not only pulled at her handbag, it also left her struggling for balance. In front of her horrified co-passengers' eyes, she toppled over, falling into the tall grass below. Her head hit the pole on which the thief was perched as she fell. The thief who came down the pole, and his accomplice, waiting in the tall grass, dragged her off deeper into the bushes where they took off her jewellery and rifled through her handbag before disappearing into the bushes around, leaving her bleeding near the tracks.      Twenty-five commuters, many of whom were Gholapkar’s collegues, travelling on the same train, rushed back from the next station, Rabale, and took her to a hospital where doctors said the extent of her injuries was grave. “We had some idea of where she had fallen but we could not immediately locate her,” said her colleague Joseph Anthony Sebastian, 23 -- “I spotted her sandals near the pole and then we found her lying unconscious, blood oozing from her head.” These commuters then bravely stood in the middle of the tracks and stopped the next oncoming train. They, and the motorman, bundled her in and took her to Lifeline Hospital at Airoli. In view of the severity of her injuries Gholapkar was shifted to Ayush Hospital and from where to the better-equipped Criticare, Thane.      “I leave home before mom does and the last conversation I had with her was in the afternoon when she called me to say that there was food in the fridge and that I need not make dinner…and now here she is fighting for life,”saidGholapkar’s daughter Raveena, left stunned by the turn of events.      “Gholapkar is in a critical condition and is brain dead. We are waiting for the family to take a call,” said Dr Santosh Rathi of Criticare Hospital, who is treating her.      Devanand Harap, one of Gholapkar’s colleagues, said this was the third such incident which had happened with their office staff. “In the previous two cases, the ladies were not injured and only their handbag was snatched. This is the same spot where it happens and yet the police pay no heed.”     Senior inspector S. Karyekarte of Vashi GRP said a case has been registered and investigations have begun.

MMRDA raises doubts over monorail safety

Chittaranjan Tembhekar TNN

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Mumbai: Will phase I of the monorail, which is to open by September 15, be safe, secure and reliable? In fact, will it be able to start operations on target even after five years of construction? Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials have threatened its developers with a heavy penalty if it does not.
    MMRDA officials have now raised serious doubts about the quality of trains and safety standards for commuters. They also doubt it will be able to start operations for Mumbaikars on schedule.
    MMRDA is developing the route by paying Rs2,800 crore. At a review meeting on August 28, attended by officials of the contractors, L&T Scomi Engineering (LTSE) and consultants, the Louis Berger Group, metropolitan commissioner U P S Madan expressed displeasure and deep concern over the lack of safety of the system.
    TOI has learned that he referred to the latest incident of a panel door falling off, which luckily did not hit passersby. He emphasized that the state of affairs was “totally unacceptable”.
    Additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwini Bhide said even after spending Rs1,700 crore it was a pity that MMRDA did not have trains fit to run. She said that due to non-availability of trains, plans for tests had failed. “This is a serious reflection on the contractor’s capability,” she added.
    MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar said, “Three trains are running in automatic schedule since morning and have been tested for schedule adherence, stability and robustness. This is definitely a milestone for monorail signaling.” But he could not confirm the date of opening.

31% WR commuters want more suburban services Faulty Fans, Lights Figure High On List Of Complaints

Manthan K Mehta TNN

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Mumbai: A demand for more train services tops the list of complaints from Western Railway commuters, followed by reports of malfunctioning equipment in suburban train coaches.
    Data compiled from the list of complaints sent through SMS by commuters between April-July 2013 reveals that nearly 31% of commuters sought augmentation in services. Equipment malfunction (fan, lights, etc) followed with 22% complaints. Stoppages for long-distance trains at particular stations was another major demand, 8% were unhappy with passenger amenities, 7%
were upset with ticket-checking, 5% with security, 4% cleanliness and 3% had ticketing complaints. While 7% had miscellaneous complaints, 11% complaints were unclear, 2% users appreciated the services.
    WR’s chief public relations officer Sharat Chandrayan said, “The number of complaints have reduced to 668 in April-July 2013 from 917 in the same period in the corresponding period last year.”
    Nevertheless, he said, complaints registered using this service are taken extremely seriously as these are monitored at the level of the principal heads of departments. Nearly 31% or a total of 211 commuters have made complaints about train services. Chandrayan said, “These include stoppages demanded for long-distance trains too. Many also want locals originating or terminating from their destinations.”
    The second most important grouse was malfunctioning of equipment, as nearly 22% of respondents complained about the poor quality of fans and non-functioning lights. A senior railway official said, “The situation has improved progressively as the number of complaints on this front also reduced from 185 last year to 152 this year during the same period. It will further improve with the induction of new rakes in the system.”
    The least complaints were about ticketing. WR caters to nearly 35 lakh commuters per day. A senior WR official said, “We have 332 windows, 450 CVMs and 195 ATVMS spread across 35 stations. The average time at a booking window at the busiest stations like Dadar or Bhayander is 16 minutes during peak hour and 5 minutes during non-peak hour.”
    However, commuters were unhappy with ticket-checking, with as many as 7% expressing displeasure on this front. Borivli resident Sonal Mehta said, “The first-class compartment is occupied by unauthorized ticket holders. It is extremely unjust as we pay a premium.”
Times View: Some of the common commuter peeves have been there for some time. Augmentation of services is one such demand. It may not be possible to increase services to every commuter’s complete satisfaction but some projects have been delayed because of lack of planning (TOI report on September 3). Fans and lights also may malfunction occasionally and users must share a part of the blame for dirty coaches and toilets. But long-standing grievances do indicate that action following feedback has not satisfied the user.

Stray problem dogs local train commuters

Virat A Singh virat.singh@timesgroup.com TWEETS @singhvirat246 

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    To catch or not to catch, that is the question for suburban railway officials who are in a spot over the rising canine population on station platforms. Complaints from commuters about stray dogs are piling up, but rail authorities worry that any action on their part to remove them might lead to protests from animal lovers. 
    Commuters say that dogs sometimes chase them on platforms, or bark threateningly at them or fight among each other, sending people scuttling away to keep their distance.There is fear that commuters trying to dodge dogs at platforms might fall off into the rail pit or be hit by a train. 
    Andheri resident, banker Amit Das, himself a dog lover who takes care of a few strays at Yari Road, fears that someone scared of dogs might meet with an accident while scrambling to avoid one. “Recently I saw a woman who almost fell off as she was trying to avoid a barking dog that rushed towards her at Andheri,” he said. 
    Like Das, Mulund resident Kusum Rane is no dog hater either. She and other commuters have appealed to the Mulund station master to seek NGO help to relocate the dogs at the station using humane methods. Some of the Mulund station dogs charge at other dogs that are strangers in the area; this creates apanic on the platform and people run hither and thither fearing they might be bitten, she said. 
    For railway officials, weighed down with complaints about toilets, foot over-bridges, criminals, and other matters, dealing with animal lovers is a task that they would rather avoid. One of them said he feared being accused by animal lovers of wasting time tackling a dog problem when there are more serious issues begging attention. 
    “It is obvious that railway authorities fear that there could be a backlash from the animal lovers if they get BMC tore move the dogs, as several dog lovers feed the strays on railway platforms,” said Madhu Kotian, President of Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh. Her constituents have complained of dogs who nap near ticket windows, forcing people to stand in crooked queues, and of dogs who run around on platforms forcing people along their path to scatter. She too wants the railways to tie up with animal rights NGOs. Also, if a dog bites somebody, whose responsibility would it be, the railways’ or the BMC’s? Who will be liable to pay for medication and treatment. 
    Sunish Subramanian, Founder of PAWS, said: “The railways should contact BMC who could get the dogs sterilised so that their population does not rise. Also they can contact local NGOs who can help vaccinate the dogs.” He added that the railways should also ensure cleanliness so that dogs don’t come foraging at the platforms for food. 
    Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO for Western Railway, agreed that there have been rising complaints from people about stray dogs. “We have written to BMC and are awaiting suggestions and actions from their end as we can do nothing in this matter,” he said.

Commuters say that stray dogs sometimes chase them on platforms, or bark threateningly at them