Kolkata Transportation Thread - (Surface/Water only)

[studdmanster]

Originally Posted by AbhishekDatta

[

“Bohudin dhore tora jaliyechhis... esob aar cholbena (You have tormented the passengers for so many years. Not any more),” one of the cops told the driver, even as other cabbies watched from a distance.

there's a saying in hindi "laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi mante"...there are few cabbie who falls under this catagory...these guys should be given a royal kick at the most inappropriate place

[soumyajyoti]

Originally Posted by studdmanster

there's a saying in hindi "laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi mante"...there are few cabbie who falls under this catagory...these guys should be given a royal kick at the most inappropriate place

Shouldn't that read as the most appropriate place?

[studdmanster]

for the passenger its appropriate & for the taxi driver its inappropriate

[studdmanster]

Transport meet for South 24 Parganas

[studdmanster]

The Govt is thinking of leasing buses to big corporate houses to earn money...as usual this idea has been opposed by CITU... why

[Suncity]

Originally Posted by studdmanster

...as usual this idea has been opposed by CITU... why

CITU is the original mother of Na and No politics before TMC hijacked and won in the politics of Na and No. CITU is now trying to regain lost ground in this race. Plus the word "corporate" is a red rag for commies just as the word "union" is a red rag for for corporates.

[debayanlahiri]

KOLKATA: State transport minister Madan Mitra has thought of a brilliant plan, but his department has no clue how to follow it up. He wants to take all the smoke-belching buses at the Esplanade terminal underground, but the problem is that it was news for even his officials. They looked just as stunned as the rest.

The state government has been "looking for land" since 2002 to shift the polluting terminus out of the heritage zone of BBD Bag, Esplanade and Victoria Memorial. Two Left Front governments and a change in government later, the administration is still looking. On Monday, Mitra said it was an "impossible task" and the government would "try out other options".

And then he came up with his grand underground-parking plan. Mitra also talked about using a 'carbon net' to check emission from vehicles underground, though it is a very costly proposition. Officials of the traffic and transport planning directorate - the wing that plans the execution of projects - say this is the first they have heard of it.

There has no survey of the underground utilities in the central business district prior to the minister's floating the underground bus terminus proposal. The idea struck the minister because he wanted to send out the signal that the government was not sitting idle, say sources. Complaints have been piling up that the government is sitting tight on a Calcutta high court order to shift the bus terminus from Esplanade on environment grounds. The Supreme Court upheld the HC directive five months ago.

Environment activists say that the transport minister made a "wild guess" to save the government from an impending contempt of court proceeding because it has done nothing to implement the court order in the last five months.

Environment activist Subhas Datta filed a PIL in Calcutta high court way back in 2002, seeking the court's directive against the rising pollution in the central business district that was affecting Victoria Memorial. The court appointed a committee of experts to suggest how the monument could be saved from environmental damage. The panel, comprising officials from the central and state pollution control boards, NEERI and other experts, suggested several measures, including a complete ban on parking on roads adjoining Victoria Memorial.

The high court green bench on September 28, 2007, marked a 'red zone' around the monument, encompassing AJC Bose Road to the south, Hospital Road to the west, Queen's Way to the north and Cathedral Road to the east. No parking will be allowed in this zone and the traffic police must maintain uninterrupted flow of traffic, the court said. It also directed the state government to shift the bus terminus at least 3km away from the protected monument.

Accordingly, the state government announced the decision to set up three bus terminii around the city - in Howrah (under the Vidyasagar Setu approach-way), Bantala in South 24-Parganas and Rajarhat New Town.

The court did not set any deadline for the shifting of the terminus. At present, about 15,000 buses enter and leave the city every day. Most of them touch Esplanade and Babughat.

Last Wednesday (February 29), Subhas Datta filed an affidavit before the bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice Mrinal Kanti Chowdhury complaining that the state government has not taken any step for shifting the Esplanade bus-terminus away from Victoria Memorial. The court then asked the state to ascertain its plan of action.

Government pleader Ashok Bandyopadhyay submitted that he will update the court about the action plan on Thursday after talking to chief secretary and home secretary. The bench then asked the government pleader to include petitioner Subhas Datta in the discussion and take his views. "It didn't happen. I was not told about any such meeting," Datta said.

The minster said on Monday: "There is no suitable space where the terminus can come up. But we need to comply with the court's order. The state will now seek the court's permission to take the terminal underground. The government will also take the views of the petitioner and work out a feasible action plan."

The unique proposal is being construed in some quarters as a tactic to buy time for the government. Datta held that Mitra's announcement is a fit case for contempt of the court. "How can the minister say that the shifting of the bus terminus is not possible now when the court has passed the shifting order? The minister is talking nonsense," said Datta.

The environment activist also trashed the minister's idea of shifting the bus terminal below the approach way to Vidyasagar Setu. "The space below the approach way is, in fact, nearer to Victoria Memorial Hall. I would rather suggest small bus terminals spread across the city instead of a mega terminal like the one in Esplanade. For instance Bankura-Bishnupur bound buses may have stand at one place and there can be separate stand for Diamond Harbour bound buses," Datta said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/12156432.cms

[studdmanster]

till date i thought Madan was "mataal" but it seems he is also "matha-mota"..

[Joy_ghosh02]

Originally Posted by studdmanster

till date i thought Madan was "mataal" but it seems he is also "matha-mota"..

[Rajarshi77]

reposted in http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1106207

[studdmanster]

Wrong thread....post this in the railway thread

[Rajarshi77]

Originally Posted by studdmanster

Wrong thread....post this in the railway thread

Is there any separate thread for railways in west bengal?

[studdmanster]

nopes...but u can post them here

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1106207

Souvik_N has posted the same info in this thread...

[BengaliTiger]

Govt plans 20 new bus terminuses in city

KOLKATA: The state transport department has prepared a preliminary report for relocation of bus terminuses in different parts of the city. While four major and 16 smaller terminuses have been planned, a bus bay, where buses will halt for a few minutes and leave for their respective destinations, is also on the cards, the report states. There are also plans to re-lay the Babughat terminus.

Since traffic volume on most roads in and around Esplanade far exceeds the saturation point, shifting of the bus terminus will decongest the heart of the city. "Shifting the terminus would ease the traffic knot at Esplanade and Dalhousie to a great extent," said a senior traffic police officer.

Besides relocating the Esplanade bus terminus, the department plans to set up four major terminuses across the city. According to the report, these terminuses will come up at - Bantala, below the approach way of the Howrah end of the second Hooghly Bridge, near Belghoria Expressway and Behala.


Efforts will also be made to expand the existing bus terminuses in Jadavpur, Kasba, East Jadavpur, Haltu, New Alipore, Haridevpur, Budge Budge, Khiderpore and Metiabruz, in the south and Shyambazar-Bagbazar, Pikepara, Ultadanga, Chitpore, Burrabazar-Posta, Phoolbagan, Salt Lake, Maniktala, Rajarhat and airport in the north. The augmentation will aim at accommodation of a larger number of buses.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/12283435.cms

[studdmanster]

Wots the deadline??? 20years??

[sidney_jec]

[soumalya747]

Tram boss suggests ticket-price hike to revive heritage transport

Dinesh Trivedi lost his job trying to pull the railways “out of ICU“, so spare a thought (and a prayer) for the Mamata Banerjee acolyte who intends breathing life into Calcutta's trams with a fare hike.
Shantilal Jain, handpicked to become the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) chairman last year, has recommended a fare hike of up to Rs 1.70 to revive the heritage transport system whose revenues have risen slower than the pace at which its tramcars move.

Jain wrote to transport minister Madan Mitra a few weeks back, saying he had worked out a fare hike that would help improve the company's finances without taxing the commuter. He also proposed doing away with the class system and improving seating and other facilities.

“I have proposed that the basic fare for distances up to 4km be hiked by a rupee to Rs 5. For the remaining leg, the fare should be raised from Rs 4.30 to Rs 6,“ Jain told Metro. “This is something everyone would be able to afford. Besides, it would do away with the problem of providing change.“

Tram fares have always been at the centre of a political turmoil in Bengal. In 1965, CPM cadres had set several trams ablaze to protest an increase in fares by a paisa. Almost half a century later, there is no guarantee the political class wouldn't react in a similar manner if fares were to be raised.

In the event of Jain's farehike proposal being passed but not his plan to introduce a single class of travel, the increase would be more (see chart) for commuters boarding the second-class coaches that do not have fans and separate seats for women.

But Jain promised there wouldn't be any discrimination on the basis of class. “We will ensure better seating arrangements and ceiling fans for all,“ he said.

So was he sure Mamata would approve, having just red-flagged former rail minister Trivedi's budget proposal to increase fares? “Trams and trains are two different things.
Besides, we will be offering better service. People wouldn't mind paying extra for better service,“ Jain insisted.

The proposed increase in rail fares is by 2 paise for every kilometre in second class and 5 paise a kilometre in sleeper class. Travel in air-conditioned coaches would also cost more.

Sources in the CTC, which had begun operations on February 24, 1873, with a horsedrawn tram service between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street, said fares were last hiked in 2005 by 50 paise.

“Our income from tram services is around Rs 3 lakh a day. A large number of commuters get off trams without paying. If the new rates take effect, revenue would exceed Rs 5 lakh a day,“ an official said.

The CTC earns around Rs 50 crore a year from its tram and bus services, but ends up spending almost five times that amount on salaries for its 6,500-plus employees, maintenance and other requirements. That means around Rs 200 crore comes from the government's coffers to keep the company going.

A recent audit found irregularities in the appointment of 258 employees on the company's rolls, but nobody was held accountable after chief minister Mamata decided to maintain status quo for six months.
This was apparently after a meeting with representatives of the transport corporations.

With over 250 tramcars and 220 buses in its fleet, the CTC is now trying to increase revenue by printing advertisements on the reverse of tickets and introducing new routes.
Trams ply on 16 routes crisscrossing the city and the CTC top brass intends adding a couple of more soon.

Under Jain's stewardship, officials have drawn up a 19point plan to bring the CTC back on the path to profit.

The blueprint is to be handed over to the chief minister next week, but guess what's missing from the document? The fare-hike proposal! Sources said Jain's strategy was to suggest a fare hike through the transport minister rather than put it in front of Mamata directly or do a Trivedi.

Bus and minibus operators have long been demanding an increase in fares, but the Mamata government has so far not encouraged any discussion on the topic. “We have met the transport minister on several occasions between July 23, 2011, and February 20 this year. He has told us each time that the government would consider all demands barring a fare hike,“ said Dipak Sarkar of the Bengal Bus Syndicate.

Sarkar and other bus operators want a fare structure similar to that for minibuses -Rs 5 for every two kilometres.

Transport minister Mitra said the government would increase neither bus nor tram fares anytime soon.

So where does that leave Jain? “He too might go into ICU (if he insists on a fare hike),“ Mitra shot back.

[soumalya747]

Finally, more bus routes in Sector V and Rajarhat, leash on autos

The state government will introduce bus routes from Rajarhat and Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah, Sealdah and Garia, said transport minister Madan Mitra at the Writers' Buildings on Tuesday.

Among the other measures announced were reining in autos across the city, re-introducing once popular routes like 8B and L9, shutting down underutilized bus depots and roping in the corporate sector to operate buses.

Autos have become a menace, Mitra admitted. "They are increasing fares on their own. More than 80% autos plying in the city are illegal. Our next step will be to rein in autos. We will hold a meeting with leaders of auto unions in the first week of April to regularize fares," the minister said.

Mitra said the department wants to introduce bus routes and revive some old ones. "We want to re-introduce some popular old bus routes like L9, 8B, 2B, 5 and 6. Besides, we are emphasizing on connecting areas in Salt Lake, Sector V and Rajarhat with Howrah, Sealdah and Ultadanga at one end and Gariahat and Garia at the other. Over 300 buses are lying unutilized. We are giving their owners 10 days to start plying their vehicles. Or else, we will take them over and ply them," the minister said.

Several bus depots are lying underutilized, Mitra said. "We will hold meetings to discuss how such depots can be used. For example, only two buses ply out of the Chanchol depot daily, together carrying less than 70 passengers. We will ask local MLAs to inform us about the number of buses they think are required to ply from such depots. It is becoming impossible for us to meet their establishment and maintenance costs. We have decided to shut quite a few of them down. Instead, we will set up seating arrangements for people as well as drinking water facilities within the premises," he added.

Mitra said the department will hold meetings in each district to find out about the condition of public transport. "We have already held a meeting in South 24-Parganas. The report has been placed. There are problems with public transport in north Bengal, particularly over long-distance bus routes. We will also issue advertisements soon, asking private companies to operate buses at existing fares. A few have already sent letters showing an interest in the proposal.

The department also conducted special checks on state buses over three days in South 24-Parganas recently. The raids yielded over Rs 10 lakh from those travelling ticketless.

[Rajarshi77]

Originally Posted by soumalya747

Tram boss suggests ticket-price hike to revive heritage transport

Dinesh Trivedi lost his job trying to pull the railways “out of ICU“, so spare a thought (and a prayer) for the Mamata Banerjee acolyte who intends breathing life into Calcutta's trams with a fare hike.
Shantilal Jain, handpicked to become the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) chairman last year, has recommended a fare hike of up to Rs 1.70 to revive the heritage transport system whose revenues have risen slower than the pace at which its tramcars move.

Trams should be phased out. Doesn't serve any purpose. And government doesn't have money for fancy AC trams anyways.

[AbhishekDatta]

bidhan nagar police has taken up the responsibility of running taxis at the airport...