Non-cooperation by railways force ASCDCL to run into losses!

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL) has claimed that it is unable to serve passengers disembarking from trains during night hours due to non-cooperation from the Department of Railways (DoR)!

There are four trains that halt at the local railway station during the night (at 1 am, 2.15 am, 4.30 am and 5.30 am). The ASCDCL, with the intention of providing service to passengers, parks one smart bus in one corner on the campus of the station so as to transport the passengers deboarding from the night trains. The bus route is general. It includes Cidco, Railway Station, Central Bus Stand, Bhadkal Gate, Labour Colony, T V Centre and ends at Cidco. The seating capacity of each bus is 32 seats. Ironically, hundreds of passengers get off the trains during the night, but the response is very poor on each trip. Hence, the ASCDCL could record only four trips daily.

According to reliable sources, “The Smart City office has been corresponding with the railway administration for the last couple of years. The last communication or correspondence was held a few months ago. The ASCDCL sought permission from DoR to let them park the bus at a suitable place so that it could catch the attention of the passengers coming out of the main entrance and happily provide affordable transport service to passengers. However, the railway administration has turned down the offer each time, citing excuses. Presently, the bus is parked near Sulabh Sauchalaya, and this location is very far from the entrance. On the other hand, the main entrance is surrounded by hundreds of autowallahs who irresponsibly parked their vehicles in front of the main entrance, just about 100 feet away. The traffic police are not available during the night hours. Hence, the majority of passengers could not see the bus. Adding to the woes, the passengers are literally pushed to sit in the rickshaws (sometimes by holding hands and pulling luggage) at exorbitant charges. It is observed that passengers are exhausted from hectic train journeys. Hence, they sit in the available vehicle, rush to reach their destinations at the earliest, and enjoy sleeping. This practice is pushing the ASCDCL to sustain revenue losses. If the DoR allows parking for the bus at the requested location, then ASCDCL hopes to get a good response from the passengers. The Smart City Office is ready to operate 3–4 buses connecting each train during the night hours.”

ASDCL records 20 pc business

The ASCDCL’s assistant manager (operations), Prakash Deshmukh, said, “The daytime bus service halts at 11 pm daily. We have been operating four buses (one bus each) connecting four trains during the night hours for the past year. Ironically, the facility is not being availed of by the majority of the citizens, due to myriad reasons. We are requesting the railways to allow us to park the bus at a suitable place in front of the main entrance, but the response is cold. Hence, the response to the night service from the passengers is just 20 percent.”

Deshmukh added, "The autowallahs collect 1.5 times more metre charges during night hours. In this comparison, our bus service is available at affordable rates. It is also safe and secure to transport during the night. There is no issue of cheating and looting as well.”

Box

According to ASCDCL sources, "The DoR is reluctant to grant permission to park the bus, claiming that it will cause traffic congestion outside the main entrance, lead to accidents, and push the passengers coming out of the station to face severe inconvenience due to the formation of a rush.”