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Unable to swipe Monorail card at exit? Fix it ASAP [DNA : Sunday](DNA : Sunday Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) "Next time you commute in Mumbai Monorail or Metro and are unable to swipe your smart card while exiting the station, ensure that you get the transaction rectified then and there, or else you may be asked to pay a penalty during your next trip. Also, don't be under the impression that you can register your grievance by filing a complaint. Monorail authorities aren't maintaining a complaint form or register at their stations for commuters. Who brought this issue to light? A Monorail commuter, who was asked to pay penalty for not validating his exit, highlighted the problem, shooting off a letter to CM Prithviraj Chavan, who is also chairman of the MMRDA. How and where did this happen? On Aug 2, the commuter was asked to pay the penalty, as he was trying to enter Fertiliser Township Monorail station, when the Automatic Fare Collection gate showed that his card hadn't been authenticated during the previous trip. The commuter said during his previous journey the gate was not functioning and, hence, authorities had allowed him to leave the station without swiping the card. What did the commuter do then? He refused to pay the penalty pointing out that it was not his fault and demanded that he be allowed to file a written complaint. However, he was told that they (Monorail authorities) do not have any complaint book or form. He wrote a letter to the chief minister after authorities asked him to go all the way to MMRDA's head office in Bandra-Kurla Complex to lodge a protest. The Monorail staff even refused to give him contact details of the station master or other higher-ups. What does MMRDA have to say? "Station managers have complaint book where grievances can be put on record. If the reason is genuine due to malfunction of our systems, a commuter shouldn't be asked to pay penalty. However, I will check this particular case of August 2," said UPS Madan, MMRDA commissioner. Same story at Metro stations At stations, the system displays "card invalid" when a commuter, who has been unable to authenticate his/her card while exiting, tries to enter the station the next time. In such cases, the card is then required to be updated and validated at the Customer Service Desk. What do Metro authorities say? Mumbai Metro spokesperson said, "We do not deduct any extra fee for validating the smart card. As a practice, money is not deducted from the card while entering the AFC gate but only while exiting." ""MMRDA to L&T:Insulate wires on Monorail corridor""After the Mumbai Monorail services came to a standstill for 10 hours on July 20-21, the MMRDA has asked Larsen & Tourbo (L&T) to improve insulation of the wires to ensure services remain on track. A senior development authority official explained that L&T, who is the civil construction contractor for the Monorail project, has been informed to insulate the underground cables. The additional layer of insulation will greatly help in avoiding a repeat of such an eventuality. This may also mean that footpaths and roads will be dug up during the monsoon. The July 20 incident occurred due to an underground cable at Fertiliser Township Monorail Station tripping and eventually getting burned. "We suspect that the cable was damaged due to pavement work that was being carried out at the time. Perhaps, the work done by the civic body resulted in our Monorail services getting affected," said an official. MMRDA authorities intend to penalise the firm responsible for the upkeep of the electrical systems, but the penalty amount will be decided in a month's time." Credit:Ateeq Shaikh (c) 2014 @ 2014 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |