New Delhi:
Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has made a slew of promises to improve passenger amenities in his railway budget, but in Delhi it seems security is still a big focus area. Anumita, who is from Guwahati and frequently travels there told NDTV, "The idea of 17000 extra (security) personnel is welcome. Safety is our top most priority."
Sonal, who had just hopped off a train from Patna was more circumspect. "Just this morning, there was a drunk guy in the compartment. The TC came, saw him but did nothing to throw him out. It was quite scary."
At the New Delhi railway station, CCTVs are already in place, but as we found out, not all security measures were up to the mark. The baggage scanner right outside Platform 16 wasn't working and a commuter travelling to Ludhiana said it's been the case for at least a fortnight.
Constantly battling the tag of unhygienic food and services, the Rail Minister has increased allocation for cleanliness by 40 percent over the previous year. In addition, cleaning activities at 50 major stations will be outsourced to private agencies. The railways will also set up a separate housekeeping wing. Pre-cooked meals, more hygienic in nature, will also be introduced in select trains.
The budget also has plans for golf carts for the differently-abled, some of which are already in service at the Delhi station.
The Rail Minister has got a thumbs up from commuters on tech-based ideas like Wifi on trains and stations, thrust on E-ticketing through mobile phones and even ordering food via SMS and working stations on some trains. Antral, a student in Delhi said, "Wifi is very important in our lives now, even ordering food via SMS is a good idea," though another commuter was more concerned about how these services would be made available. Farhan said, "When we don't have network on our mobile phones on trains, what's the guarantee Wifi will work. And will we pay extra for it? There's no point offering a service that doesn't work."
The railway minister also plans to make at least 10 railway stations as good as airports. While all this sounds nice, the important question is how and when will these be implemented.
Sonal, who had just hopped off a train from Patna was more circumspect. "Just this morning, there was a drunk guy in the compartment. The TC came, saw him but did nothing to throw him out. It was quite scary."
At the New Delhi railway station, CCTVs are already in place, but as we found out, not all security measures were up to the mark. The baggage scanner right outside Platform 16 wasn't working and a commuter travelling to Ludhiana said it's been the case for at least a fortnight.
Constantly battling the tag of unhygienic food and services, the Rail Minister has increased allocation for cleanliness by 40 percent over the previous year. In addition, cleaning activities at 50 major stations will be outsourced to private agencies. The railways will also set up a separate housekeeping wing. Pre-cooked meals, more hygienic in nature, will also be introduced in select trains.
The budget also has plans for golf carts for the differently-abled, some of which are already in service at the Delhi station.
The Rail Minister has got a thumbs up from commuters on tech-based ideas like Wifi on trains and stations, thrust on E-ticketing through mobile phones and even ordering food via SMS and working stations on some trains. Antral, a student in Delhi said, "Wifi is very important in our lives now, even ordering food via SMS is a good idea," though another commuter was more concerned about how these services would be made available. Farhan said, "When we don't have network on our mobile phones on trains, what's the guarantee Wifi will work. And will we pay extra for it? There's no point offering a service that doesn't work."
The railway minister also plans to make at least 10 railway stations as good as airports. While all this sounds nice, the important question is how and when will these be implemented.
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