"I am impressed with the Operation Five Minutes plan of the railway minister in which I am assured of a ticket being dispensed within five minutes," said Roshni Arora, a businesswoman from Ghatkopar, who occasionally travels on both CR and WR. Union minister Suresh Prabhu said the government was making efforts to make travel on Indian Railways a "happy experience". "One of the biggest problems faced by the common man intending to travel in unreserved class is purchasing a ticket. So, we will introduce 'Operation Five Minutes' to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within five minutes," he said in his budget speech.
Now, book train tickets 4 months in advance
Mumbaikars have welcomed the decision by railway minister not to hike fares, but the longer window period for booking long-distance tickets seems to be more of a mixed bag. Commuters pointed out that people may not plan travel so much in advance and this may end up helping agents and touts.
While speaking in parliament, railway minister Suresh Prabhu mentioned that the advance reservation of tickets will now be possible 120 days before a journey. "But this means planning a trip four months in advance. There may be few takers, but a majority would prefer booking tickets only two months in advance. They may end up not getting any berth and going through the tatkal scheme (paying higher fares) or getting waitlisted tickets confirmed through railway officials," said Sagar Kumar, a commuter at CST. But a few commuters welcomed the new scheme. Said Shruti Kulkarni from Dombivli, "It is good to get the facility of booking tickets four months in advance. Many times, hotel bookings are done four to five months in advance and now we can also book the train tickets."
Focus on clearing encroachments
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has turned the focus on encroachments, which are eating into the valuable land asset of national public sector, besides posing hurdles in faster execution of infrastructure projects. Prabhu said, "There will be digitized mapping of land records and fixing of responsibility on officers."
Mumbai has had bad experience with encroachments as it took almost 17 years to lay the fifth and sixth line between Kurla and Thane due to litigation and non-cooperation by slum-dwellers. Even recently, politicians rallied with the slum dwellers when crucial work was to be undertaken for Thane-Diva fifth and sixth line.
Activist G R Vora said that encroachment was a sensitive issue and merely holding officials responsible may not solve the problem. "If you go by the past track record of the railways, it is unlikely that this problem will be redressed. About a decade ago, the railway authorities had demolished several slums which had encroached close to tracks and also constructed a wall, but most encroachers returned within a year. Also, the officials who turned a blind eye while the railway land was being encroached were not punished at all,'' he pointed out.
Swachh rail campaign
Commuters, especially women, hope the 'Swachh Rail Abhiyan' won't bypass Mumbai. "We need our railway premises to be spic and span and world class. It is not just the trains that need to be clean, but also the toilets and other areas," said Sunita Kini, a regular commuter from Badlapur to CST. "We spend over an hour in trains and at least 10-15 minutes on platforms. I dread going to a loo at the station as it is often unusable. Why are we paying hefty fares when there is no assured cleanliness and hygiene?" she asked.
In his budget speech, Prabhu said, "The railways proposes to create a department for keeping stations and trains clean. Integrated cleaning will be taken up as a specialised activity, which will include engaging professional agencies and training staff in latest cleaning practices.
MP gives Rs 1.5cr for amenities
A Mumbai MP found mention in the railway budget. Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu acknowledged the contribution of Rs 1.5 crore given by city MP Gopal Shetty from the MPLAD funds for improving passenger amenities in the western suburbs. "I request all MPs to use part of their MPLAD funds in improving facilities at stations. It is with gratitude that I mention the names of PC Mohan, MP from Bengaluru Central and Gopal Shetty from north Mumbai--who have donated Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore respectively from MPLAD funds," Prabhu said.
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