MUMBAI

MUMBAI | THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011

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Soon, hop on to squeaky clean locals

Advanced washing facility at Kurla and the stain-unfriendly colour scheme will do wonders
Akshay Deshmane
A state-of-the art EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) cleaning facility will be operational in a fortnight at the Automatic Coach Washing Plant in the Kurla car shed. With the upgraded facilities, trains on the main line will wear a cleaner look in the near future. A senior official of the Central Railway (CR) who spoke with DNA on the condition of anonymity, said, The plant will ensure that trains are washed and cleaned well. A threestage cleaning process will ensure that the outer part of the rakes of local trains which come for washing are cleaned appropriately . Elaborating, the official said that in the first stage, the pre-wash stage, the rakes will be sprayed with adequate water. This will be followed by a generous sprinkling of soap. Additionally, the nylon brushes being used for this plant are sturdier. They will hold together the soap for a longer time and ensure that it spreads all across the outer body of the rake, the official said. He added that the brush profile (length of the nylon brushes and their spread) matches the rakes, which will enable better cleaning. After enough soap has been applied, in the third and final stage, the outer surfaces of the rakes will be scrubbed thoroughly. Three separate tanks have been placed near the plant. One tank will hold 2,500 litres of soap solution while the other two will be filled with 5,000 litres of water. The official estimated that one local train requires about 1,000 litres of water for washing. In stage two, a cement apron placed strategically between the tracks will collect water and filter it for reuse as water for washing. Each day, five local trains will be washed via this process at the plant once it becomes operational. CRs chief spokesperson VA Malegaonkar said, We hope to commission the plant by June 15. The Rs50 lakh worth plant will bring about standardisation and improvement in cleaning quality of rakes by the Central Railway .

MUMBAI

LOTS OF SOAP AND WATER

The new cleaning facility Next, they will be generously sprinkled will use a three-stage with soap and thoroughly scrubbed with cleaning process: automatic nylon brushes In the pre-wash stage, the rakes will be sprayed with adequate water In the final stage, the outer surfaces of the rakes will be scrubbed thoroughly to eliminate dirt and stains of water is required for cleaning one local train

Apoorva Dutt

MUSE

A city that drives you crazy!

1,000

litres

Wanted: Colour to camouflage stains

Akshay Deshmane
The omnipotent paan (betel nut) stains spotted with astounding regularity on the outer bodies of local trains courtesy paan-chewing passengers are a bane for authorities in charge of cleaning the violet-coloured new rakes. A senior official of the Central Railway (CR), who spoke with DNA on the condition of anonymity, said that trains which come for washing at the automatic coach washing plant are mostly dirtied from the outside by paan stains. Apart from the obvious culprits like dust and grime which settle on their surface, a major problem that we face while cleaning the rakes are the deep paan stains which do not come off easily the official said. , In an interesting aside, he added, The new retrofitted rakes which have been put into service follow an ochre red, dark grey and yellow colour scheme, partly because these shades help hide paan stains. Unlike the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) rakes which have a light colour scheme which may be pleasing to the eye but also prominently display paan stains and dirt, these colours are far better for camouflaging purposes. The colour scheme for the muchpromoted MUTP rakes was finalised after much deliberation. The new MUTP rakes began to be inducted into the citys suburban network in 2007. Member of the National Railway Users Consultative Committee, Subhash Gupta, said, The Railways ought to be strict with those who deface trains by spitting. The way such things are controlled in the Delhi Metro, which is used by commuters of all classes, should be adopted for Mumbai. Gupta also suggested that dedicated marshals could be appointed to penalise commuters who indulge in such acts. Though the colour scheme of the new MUTP rakes is good, it does not seem to suit Mumbais conditions. Colours which do not get affected by stains and dust should be used, he said. CR chief spokesperson VA Malegaonkar disagreed. Dust and grime which settle inside the train is a much more serious issue as it can affect the electric functioning of the train, he said.

The Railways ought to be strict with those who deface trains by spitting. Things should be controlled like in the Delhi Metro
Subhash Gupta,
member, National Railway Users Consultative Committee

moved to Mumbai a year ago. It has been an eventful year, littered with firsts: jobs, apartments, relationships, accepting unforgiving rain and hating cabdrivers with a righteous fury . It is fitting that Mumbai specifically Carter Road was the place where I first sat in the drivers seat of a car. It was after the post-work debauchery 2am on a desert, ed road; it seemed the perfect moment for my first driving lesson. The instructor, an old friend from Delhi, now seemed to be regretting his casual offer of a driving lesson. Okay thats the clutch, he , started nervously, peering down at my feet. Put the base of your left foot on the ground. Now, press the clutch. I jammed it down and started shifting the gear stick with misguided enthusiasm. No, no, he said quickly, shoving my hand aside with unnecessary force. He moved the stick through the gears with enviable smoothness. One, two, three, and thats neutral. Lets drive! I said, eyeing the deserted road, my foot tapping the accelerator impatiently . He looked around at the hulking trucks parked on the roads sides and shook his head. I dont think youre ready for that. How bad a driver do you think I am that I cant even drive on an empty road?! I demanded. Well, since youve never driven, we dont know how bad you can be, do we? he said, sarcastically . Okay fine, I sulked. He sighed. Okay. Gently press the accelerator. Just tap it. I tapped. The engine revved. TOO HARD! he yelped. Slowly, gently I tried again, the engine revved louder. Okay, just relax, he

said in a soothing voice most people use for mental patients. Rest your foot on the accelerator, and slowly, vaaaryyyy slowly, take your foot a little bit off the clutch. The car slowly started rolling forward. Im driving, woooww! I squealed. Yeah, yeah, well done, he said, his eyes darting around in panic like a trapped animal. The car rolled through the night in silence for 10 seconds. Listen, I think theres a car coming, I said casually peering at two rays of light , that were hitting the road from the left. Okay, time to brake! he said wildly. Press your foot on the brake.

Which foot? The MIDDLE ONE! he yelled in panic. I looked at him quizzically . I mean your right foot, brake! he screamed. I pressed down on the middle pedal and the car jerked to a stop. I clapped my hands with glee. Oh my God, that was FUN! Okay, get out, thats enough for today, he said with finality . Tomorrow, I will learn how to U-turn! I sighed happily . Get out now! I consider that first lesson like most other undertakings of mine in Mumbai, fuelled by enthusiasm and incompetence a complete success. In Mumbai, you win just by trying!
inbox@dnaindia.net d_apoorva@dnaindia.net

Kettle-shaped canteen by IIT-B students

Puja Pednekar
Imagine having tea in a building shaped like a giant kettle. It may sound like a scene from Alice in Wonderland, but the students of IITBombay in Powai are working to make it come true. As part of an international competition, these students are building a 12-feet kettleshaped structure which could be used for rain water harvesting as well as a canteen by the students. The building will be made entirely out of rubber tires and glass bottles, and it will even have a spout. Being built by 15 civil engineering students, the structure is being created using rubber tires and glass bottles and other construction waste like fly ash and leftover rocks. Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the building will be slanted to the left, giving an illusion of a kettle pouring water in a cup. This project is part of Tower of Babylon, a global > As part of an competition where international students have to competition, the build an iconic and students are sustainable object building a 12-feet for their campus kettle-shaped using local materistructure which als. Valentine Forcould be used for rain water gose, a fifth year harvesting as well student, who is as a canteen by leading the team, the students said, We wanted to create something > The building will that appealed to the be made entirely Indian ethos, a ketout of rubber tires and glass bottles, tle and cup symboland it will even ises the countrys have a spout darling beverage, tea. > the building will Not only is the be slanted to the building shaped left, giving an like a kettle, but it illusion of a kettle pouring water in can also whistle. a cup The air passing through glass bottles, used in constructing upper half of the building, makes a whistling sound when it is windy. The building will whistle just like a kettle on the burner, said Koli. The building will be surrounded by five feet tall giant cups, one of which will be placed underneath the spout so that it collects the water dripping from the spout. The water will help sustain our campus when there are water cuts, said Forgose. The competition is launched by the Global Alliance of Technical Universities, where five teams from architecture universities in Singapore, China, the USA, India and Switzerland are competing against each other.

Pre-monsoon showers to make us sweat more

DNA Correspondent
The pre-monsoon showers struck the city for the second time in last fortnight on Wednesday However, according to the Indian Mete. orological Department (IMD), the pre-monsoon rains will only increase the humidity percentage, making Mumbaikars sweat more till the monsoon officially arrives in the city This is a very local phenomenon. . Whenever you witness a rise in temperature, the moisture content in the air rises too, leading to pre-monsoon showers. It does not mean monsoon has arrived. Till now the monsoon has reached Kerala. We expect it to reach the city by June 10 or 11, said VK Rajeev, director, IMD (western region), He mentioned that it is hard to predict pre-monsoon showers and hence it is not possible to determine the time span for which these rains will remain. But the humidity will certainly rise due to this. So the people will have to wait till one or two weeks more to get rid of the humid weather, he said. Some parts in the city, including Dadar, Parel, Worli, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, witnessed showers on Wednesday, while areas in Navi Mumbai witnessed pre-monsoon showers late Tuesday night. It was a very minute amount of rain, so we do not have the exact figure, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.

Schools want fee monitoring committee

DNA Correspondent
The managements of various schools, upset over the recent announcement that the ParentTeacher Association (PTA) will have a role in determining the fee structure if the proposed fee regulation act is passed in the assembly session, have instead suggested a state-level fee monitoring committee. On the second day of the meeting with government officials, they voiced their objections against various clauses in the proposed Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act. The PTA should not meddle in fee structure. They will not be able to come up with a unanimous decision since a PTA has at least 50 members, said one school management representative who attended the meeting. The bill states that private schools will have to get any proposed fee hike approved by their respective PTA ten months ahead of implementing it. The PTA and the management will then have to inform a divisional fee regulatory committee of the consensus on the fee structure. Instead, school representatives suggested a state-level fee monitoring committee for the entire state to which parents can complain if they feel schools are profiteering. There was also dissatisfaction with a clause in the proposed act that says school officials will be liable to pay a fine of Rs5 lakh and face up to three years imprisonment for collection of excess fees. Educators should not be treated like criminals, said a representative.

THE MARVEL

CURTAIN RAISER

A biker enjoys pre-monsoon showers in Matunga. Some parts of the city witnessed a few wet spells on Wednesday Pakash Parsekar DNA

THE CENTRES WOULD ENABLE PEOPLE TO AVAIL ALL GOVERNMENTAL FACILITIES UNDER ONE ROOF

Coming soon: 500 BMC citizen facilitation centres

DNA Correspondent
Citizens queuing up at civic ward offices will now be a thing of past. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to bestow the city with 500 citizen's facilitation centres (CFC). The centres would enable people to avail all governmental facilities under one roof. The civic body will set up these mega centers in a month's time. "People usually have to spend a lot of time and energy to procure any document pertaining to the state or central government. But with these centres set up in the city the task for applying for any , government documents will become convenient," said Aseem Gupta, additional municipal commissioner. The work for running the cen-

NO MORE QUEUES
The work for running the centres and data collection will be outsourced by the civic body to five private agencies. The five agencies are Sify, Suvidha, Itz Cash, Easy Bill and Pay Point The CFC will also
provide a facility of delivering the required documents to the citizens doorstep

The civic body will

set up these mega centers in a month's time

Citizens, through these centres, will be

able to apply for documents like birth certificate, death certificate or even register civic complaints
tres and data collection will be outsourced to five private agencies. The civic body has assigned the task of running the centres to Sify Suvidha, Itz Cash, Easy Bill , and Pay Point. Citizens, through these centres, will be able to apply for documents like birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, licences for commercial establishments or even registering civic complaints. "To minimise the time gap, the work will be computerised. Peo-

ple can feed the information to avail any such facilities on the computers at the centres. The application or the query will be forwarded to the civic official incharge," Gupta added. For the task, the BMC is setting up decks to feed all the details of the information seeker on the civic website. Civic officials state that through this, the status of the request can be also monitored by people. The CFC will also provide a facility of delivering the required documents at your doorstep. The private agency will post the documents in a week's time. The citizens will be charged a minimal price based on the number of pages of the documents. The documents will have digital signatures of the authorities, so that people can also have a soft copy Gupta explained. ,