MMRDA must tell people about its comfort connectivity and affordability to increase footfall
By the time you read this article on Monday morning, the country's first-ever monorail project should have had some commercial runs on its full corridor between Chembur and Jacob Circle. Considering the 20 deadlines that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has missed to run the first and second leg together, and its experience in the past five years operating the first phase of 8.26 km between Chembur and Wadala, which kicked off in February 2014, let's wish the operators good luck for a glitch-free and safe ride for commuters.
The MMRDA has pinned its hopes on the pilot project in terms of easing commuter woes in the localities where traffic is horrific and connectivity to public transport absent. Having his doubts in the previous regime's feeder project, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ensured that the monorail was put on track. He is the second CM after Prithviraj Chavan to inaugurate its different phases. Chavan had opened the first leg ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Fadnavis too kept the elections on his mind while getting the second phase of 11.28km started.
ADVERTISEMENT
In a bid to clean up the mess that monorail project had become, Fadnavis seems to have learnt a lesson from the 'failure', because he hasn't announced another monorail. The CM has relied on MMRDA's monologue that the monorail could not be dismissed as a failure until it ran its full corridor of 19.54 km from Chembur to Jacob Circle.
Ridership, route and safety
The next six months should prove a cash-rich MMRDA's projection of increased ridership. The fare is reasonable but a lengthy and slow commute and previous incidents during technical glitches shouldn't deter passengers from riding the monorail. On Sunday, Fadnavis had decided to travel between Jacob Circle and Wadala (the plan was still on while this piece was being written) to prove the safety standard that MMRDA claimed to have drafted in its system.
The first leg has been running into heavy losses of Rs 6.40 lakh per day. The original operator ran way because it went bust, and no new party showed up to run the rail for obvious reasons. Finally, MMRDA took up the responsibility. The isolated route between Chembur and Wadala stopped attracting ridership once the 'tourism' excitement was over. The train continues to be a 'toy train' for children in the vicinity who demand rides on weekends. But safety concerns of the parents have reduced ridership on weekends as well.
Tell people it's useful
We are told MMRDA is prepared to meet eventualities. It has made a huge budgetary provision of Rs 150 crore for operations, maintenance etc. Spare parts have been procured from Malaysia, thanks to sustained efforts of Metropolitan Commissioner RA Rajeev, to revive the Rs 2,460 crore project. Rajeev should now focus on making monorail staff more professional. He should run the project with austerity without compromising the safety of commuters and staff. The officer should also coordinate with municipal authorities to allow commuters safe and quick access to the monorail stations. The area below most stations doesn't really ease the entry because of encroachments, unauthorised vendors, illegal car parks (for example GTB station). Commuters will need parks to embark and disembark from taxis.
The roads in Wadala Truck Terminus and monorail depot were re-laid ahead of the CM's visit, the median painted in yellow and black, and security beefed up. The area is occupied by anti-socials after dark making it unsafe for public movement. Unauthorised car parks have mushroomed in the area. MMRDA wants to turn the precinct into a new BKC. What's more, the MbPT road that the piling work of monorail had damaged from either side is being repaired almost eight years after construction. Will commuters dare go to the stations – for example Bhakti Park, GTB and Wadala - when the access road is poorly lit and trucks carrying heavy loads move dangerously on the roads?
We don't expect the monorail to compete with the metro that is run by a private company, but we expect the government authorities to make serious efforts to attract footfall. The second phase connects the commuters to all three suburban lines. More importantly, the monorail also connects with the tuberculosis hospital, Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, children's hospital and KEM Hospital. Pick up and drop facility for patients could be started. MMRDA needs to tell people about the usefulness of the monorail in terms of comfort, connectivity and affordability. The monorail's motto should be 'pay less, go steady and safe'.
Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
