Tariff jolt may hike Delhi Metro fare

June 5, 2013

Rumu Banerjee, TNN |

NEW DELHI: Commuting by Delhi Metro could get costlier if a proposal to hike the power tariff for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is accepted. The proposal, which is still being examined by Delhi Regulatory Commission(DERC), comes after the discoms sought a hike in tariff. Delhi Metro, which made a case to DERC earlier last month, has clearly said in its presentation that any further increase in tariff cannot be absorbed by DMRC without an increase in the fare which, it admits, will burden commuters.

At present, Delhi Metro pays Rs 6.05 per unit, besides “fixed” charges. As part of the “time of day” (TOD) metering, DMRC also pays a higher tariff for using power at certain hours of the day, which are usually the peak hours.

Says Sharat Sharma, director (operations), at Delhi Metro: “The maximum energy usage by Delhi Metro is during the hours defined as peak by the discoms. The TOD tariff has resulted in an additional burden. Since Delhi Metro is a passenger service, we cannot curtail energy usage during peak commuter travelling hours.” According to Sharma, energy consumption in the past two years has been 41.34 per cent but the expenditure on power has gone up by 140 per cent during that time. “A further power tariff hike will have a detrimental impact on our operational costs. Already, power accounts for 40 per cent of our operational costs. If this goes up further, we will have to cut down on other services,” said Sharma.

Last year, DMRC had asked the Centre for a hike in fares, citing increasing operational costs. However, the committee on fare hike is yet to be set up. If a fare hike is not implemented now, Delhi Metro could be forced to look at a subsidy from the government to pay back its loans, say officials.

“The loan from JICA ( Japan International Cooperation Agency) is paid from the operational revenue collected by Delhi Metro at present. If this goes down, then subsidies would have to be considered to bail out Delhi Metro,” admits Sharma.

Adding to the DMRC’s woes is the talk of a reliability charge by the discoms. While the hikes proposed range from 1.61-20 per cent, the reliability charge is for supplying uninterrupted power, according to the proposal. This, says Delhi Metro, would be blatantly unfair.

“Reliability is a factor introduced through our systems which have been put in place. The fact is that in the financial year 2012-13, there were numerous instances of tripping, which resulted in a loss of power for 36 hours,” says Sharma. Interestingly, compared to UP and Haryana, Delhi power unit costs the most. Per unit prices in the neighbouring states are Rs 5 and Rs 5.60 per unit, respectively.

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Delhi, DMRC

Busiest Metro stations to get traffic police help

May 28, 2013

Hindustan Times (Delhi) / Subhendu Ray

NEW DELHI: Chaos outside Delhi Metro stations might soon become a thing of the past. Now, traffic police who would be posted outside the city’s busiest Metro stations willhelp you catch that rickshaw or autorickshaw for your onward journey.

To deal with the growing problem of congestion outside Metro stations, created by autorickshaws, rickshaws, cars and buses that throng the station’s entry/exit points to pick up or drop commuters, Delhi traffic police have decided to deploy its personnel outside selectstations that see high footfalls. They will be tasked with regulating traffic to facilitate the movement of commuters.

“We have selected 45 such stations including 12 in south Delhi,” said a senior trafficpolice officer, adding that a deployment plan is being prepared.

The plan is to improve traffic flow near Metro stations and also ensure last mile-connectivity.

Delhi traffic police recently held a meeting with the officers of security cell and operations cell to discuss the proposal, said Anuj Dayal, the chief spokesperson of DMRC. Some of thestations where deployment would be made include Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Vishwavidyalaya and Central Secretariat.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Delhi, DMRC

All metro stations to have quick reaction teams, control rooms

May 23, 2013

Hindustan Times (Delhi) Faizan Haidar

To improve the response time and overall security in Delhi Metro, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will now have Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) at every station. Control rooms will also be set up at all stations for better monitoring of passengers and keeping track of suspicious items.

As per the current security structure, there is one QRT with commandos at every three stations and a control room at important stations. “Metro is a sensitive installation and we need to be on our toes all the time. QRTs at every station will reduce the reaction time during an emergency. The QRTs will be stationed outside the metro station and commandos posted will be trained to tackle any emergency,” a senior CISF official said. Over 20 lakh commuters travel by Delhi Metro and to track suspicious passengers, CISF staff monitor live CCTV feed from the control room. But control rooms are not present at every station, sometimes this delays the response time.

“In case a passenger forgets his/her baggage or any suspicious passenger is located, the person sitting in the control room can immediately direct someone to swing into action. The purpose is to make every passenger boarding the metro feel safe,” the official added.

The CISF has deployed nearly 5000 personnel for the security of metro stations. CISF conducts audits to identify the most sensitive stations and accordingly the deployment was planned. “There is always a requirement for additional personnel,” he further added.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Delhi, DMRC, Metro Rail

More gadgets to power clean Metro stations

May 21, 2013

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi,

Come June and the premises of all Delhi Metro stations will remain clean round the clock.

In a bid to ensure world-class cleanliness, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has procured a set of new equipment and machinery – including electrically operated scrubber drier and back pack vacuum cleaners – at all its stations and their surrounding areas in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Officials said, keeping in view the fact that room for mistakes by cleaning staff would be more considering the proposed expansion of the network under Phase III, the corporation had made arrangements for automated cleaning.

“These new equipment would provide mechanised cleaning operations and ensure dust free sweeping and cleaning. The new system will also dispose waste and garbage in bio-degradable disposal bags,” said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson of DMRC.

http://www.hindustantimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Delhi, DMRC, Metro Rail

« Previous Page