Title - MPs demand free toilets for women at Central Railway stations - The Times of India

MUMBAI: A delegation of Members of Parliament met Central Railway general manager Subodh Jain on Thursday with a list of demands.

assured a delegation of members of parliament at least one free-of-cost women's toilet at every suburban station, raising of platform heights to prevent mishaps and extension of 15-car trains up to Karjat and Kasara.

This was the assurance given to Members of Parliament who met Central Railway (CR) general manager Subodh Jain at his office on Thursday evening.

Sanjay Patil, MP (north-east Mumbai), said "We have been promised at least one free-of- cost women's toilet at suburban railway stations. The directives will be issued within a week.

The GM has said that the Vikhroli flyover will come up within 15 months." He said 15-car rakes will soon halt at Bhandup, which is in his constituency.

Anand Paranjpe, MP from Thane, said the railways will now focus on areas beyond Thane as the commuters there depend mainly on trains for transport. "Unlike Brihanmumbai, they cannot take a bus or taxi to reach Dadar or CST,'' he said.

He said the authorities have agreed to extend the 15-car service from Kalyan to Karjat/Kasara, with stops at Ambernath, Badlapur, Neral, Titwala and Asangaon. He demanded that ticket coupons be made available as ATVMs are non-functional at most stations.

MP Eknath Gaikwad, demanded raising platforms to prevent mishaps. "This will prevent accidents,'' Gaikwad said.

Paranjpe said, "Amenities at CST, LTT and Thane are being improved. There will be escalators at Dadar, Thane and Kalyan soon. We have also demanded survey for a third line between Kalyan and Karjat."

MP Sanjeev Naik said, "We have asked for more halts of long-distance trains at Thane, which will benefit scores of passengers."

CR spokesperson V A Malegaonkar said the suggestions are being examined. and the GM has assured appropriate action.

MP Suresh Taware demanded a rail link connecting CR and WR.

1.4L travelled ticketless in September

The WR nabbed 1.44 lakh ticketless travellers in September and recovered Rs 4.66 crore from them. The ticketless travellers' number is nearly 20 % more than that during the corresponding period last year.

As many as 279 cases of illegal transfer of reserved tickets were detected and Rs 2 lakh was recovered. During the same period, 1,636 beggars and unauthorized hawkers were apprehended and fined. Of this, 153 persons were sent to jail.

The officials also booked 190 touts and other anti-social elements. While 373 persons were prosecuted under various sections of Railway Act, 369 persons were fined while three were sent to jail.