Despite advancements in technology and greater use of social media platforms, especially microblogging site Twitter for commuters to share their grievances — most importantly about basic amenities, the conventional method of filing complaints in log books in the station masters’ office still continues. However, not many passengers are aware of that and they do not take that route.
Offices of the station managers have the log book where commuters can record their complaints. The station officials have to accept it and even issue a copy of the complaint. “The process continues, but we wonder what happens to the complaints. It does not serve the purpose if it is just treated as a piece of paper,” said volunteers of a non-governmental organisation who registered complaints with a station manager at a suburban station about poorly maintained public water taps and the basin around them.
Railway officials said many commuters preferred to share complaints through Twitter, while tagging officials of the commercial and engineering departments. However, complaints penned down by commuters were also recorded properly, compiled and forwarded to the department concerned.
A flying bus to solve transport crisis
In an ever-growing city like Chennai where the public transport facility has been found wanting to serve the common man and several transport projects including the Metro and Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) are seeing slow progress, a German-backed company has proposed yet another solution — a transport facility using ‘maglev’ (magnetic levitation).
Called the ‘ Parakkum bus,’ the project aims to offer the quickest mode of transport, using clean energy, along the ECR from Tiruvanmiyur Bus Terminus to Mamallapuram and vice versa. M. Dhoulat Sah, founder and Director, Unity Infra Project, said the ergonomically designed double decker train would be operated on electromagnet-installed track mounted on single-beam platform. The beam on which the Maglev Magnetic Double Decker Rapid Transit System (MMDDRTS) would be operated has been designed in such a way it would be consuming less space and could be accommodated on the media on the road.
As part of the 41-kilometre project to be run between Mamallapuram to Tiruvanmiyur Bus terminus under Phase One, the two-rake cars (each car accommodating 120 persons) would be operated at an interval of six minutes and have 36 stations. The MMDDRTS working on electronically-controlled levitation magnets allow the railway to be suspended — without wheels, axles or overhead lines could reach speed beyond 300 kilometres per hour. Of course, it is only at the proposal stage yet.
The highlight of the maglev transit system is that it could be operated using green energy.
P. Jaichandran, Director of the company, said the maglev train could be run on solar energy with solar panels installed atop station roof tops, depot and along the track.
(Reporting by K.Manikandan and R. Srikanth)
