What ails Kolkata Metro?

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">KOLKATA: The disruption of Metro Railway services in Kolkata has become a regular occurrence in the past one and half months. Commuters using the underground transport system, have begun raising questions about safety and maintenance of the facilities offered. <br /><br />“We have to execute our duties under difficult circumstances.Though radio telephones are supplied to the drivers, they fail to work. Even the emergency phones in the tunnels remain out of order in most cases. This was the reason why assistance could not reach the passengers on time recently in Jatin Das Park station,� Metro Railway Men’s Union general secretary Dilip Mukherjee said. “Two senior motormen are on duty at the control room to offer technical know-how to the driver over the phone in case of an emergency, but there is no way to contact them.�.<br /><br />According to him, most of the 16 trains currently in the stable, were manufactured in the early 1980s and are fatigued, requiring regular overhauls. <br /><br />“The initial problem of spare parts was solved after 1999. However, it has begun to crop up once again. The authorities refuse to replenish the stocks. We are also concerned with the change in rotational night duty of maintenance staff since 2002. Most of the incidents could have been avoided through regular checking,� he added. <br /><br />“At a meeting with the authorities next Monday, we will demand that the trains be of a certain standard. If the drivers detect faulty maintenance, they will not run the trains. We will also ask questions on spare parts used during maintenance,� added Mukherjee.<br /><br />Metro Railway chief electrical engineer Ranajit Mitra told TNN that by December the entire maintenance work on the rakes will be shifted to the car shed at Noapara. “We will be running the Tollygunge shed and the upcoming Garia sheds with skeleton staff. This will help us to pump in more maintenance staff at one point of time,� said Mitra. Admitting that there was trouble with some of the coaches at present, Mitra assured that checks were conducted to ensure foolproof security. <br /><br />Pointing to union troubles also, he said the running staff had started blaming authorities after a chargesheet was framed against a driver in July on disciplinary grounds. Thursday’s incident provided them with an opportunity to vent their anger on the authorities.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Incidents</span><br /><br />¨ June 28: Train movements suspended for most of the day after flashes are seen on the tracks.<br /><br />¨ July 4: A train suddenly stops inside the dark tunnel between Jatin Das Park and Netaji Bhawan stations. Irate passenger left stranded in the train for 15 minutes ransack Jatin Das Park station.<br /><br />¨ July 7: Passengers remain stranded there for more than 20 minutes in a train at Netaji Bhawan for 20 minutes as automatic doors fail to function.<br /><br />¨ July 12: Services are suspended as a PVC girder is seen hanging dangerously from the wall over the power supply line, the third rail.<br /><br />¨ July 16: The ‘tie rod’ of a Tollygunj bound train snaps.<br /><br />¨ July 31: Metro drivers refuse to drive trains after a section of passengers heckles a driver at Maidan station after a technical snag in a train prompts the authorities to have it vacated.</div> </div>