IMLA to help railways improve commuter facilities 

International Leadership and Management Alliance

(ILMA), a Non-Government Organisation working on environment issues, has offered its services to the Western Railway and Central Railway authorities to assist in improving the look of railway stations, and giving a professional touch to facilities extended to commuters using the railway suburban services stations.

ILMA has plans to give a total face lift to ticket booking counters and overhaul the public address system, which is one of the main helplines on the Mumbai suburban railway route. ILMA has also proposed to give railway ticket booking counters a total face lift.

In the last two years, the railway authorities of both Western Railway and Central Railway have been regularly carrying out cleanliness drives and programmes to educate commuters to keep railway property dirt free. Railway authorities had even appealed to law abiding commuters to function as wardens especially in the setting up of anti-spitting squads, to put a check on pan and gutka chewing commuters who spit and litter the platforms, as well as cigarette smokers who litter platforms with cigarette butts.

Western Railway had entered into an agreement with advertising agencies to beautify and maintain certain vital railway stations like Dadar, Bandra, and Andheri, in exchange for putting up hoardings and advertisements on these railway platforms and overhead bridges connecting the platforms.

A number of a companies like Captain Cook Salt and advertising agencies had "adopted'' some of the railway stations on the Western Railway route . Bandra railway station was refurbished by an advertising agency, and private security and conservancy agencies were hired by the advertising agency to maintain the railway platform.

ILMA is conducting an in depth study and ferreting information on the management of railway platforms on the suburban services routes and on the budgetary allocations for railway platforms.

Author : Mani D'Mello

 

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