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देशातील सर्व प्रकारच्या सार्वजनिक वाहतूक सेवेसाठी एकच एक स्मार्ट कार्ड तयार करण्याचा केंद्र सरकारच्या नगरविकास खात्याचा उपक्रम प्रत्यक्षात येण्याची शक्यता दुरावली आहे. त्यामुळेच या वर्षी सुरू होत असलेल्या मेट्रो आणि मोनो रेल्वेसाठी एकच स्मार्ट कार्ड तयार करण्याचा निर्णय एमएमआरडीएने घेतला आहे. त्यास बेस्टनेही हिरवा कंदीला दाखवला आहे.

सार्वजनिक वाहतुकीच्या साधनांचा वापर करणाऱ्या प्रवाशांना प्रत्येक वाहनासाठी स्वतंत्र तिकिटे काढणे वेळेखाऊ आणि त्रासदायक आहे. त्यामुळे या सर्व सेवांसाठी एक स्मार्ट कार्ड असावे यासाठी केंद्राने 'मोअर' कार्डाची घोषणा केली होती. मात्र बहुतांश ठिकाणी रेल्वे सेवांनी या कार्ड योजनेत सहभागी होण्यास असमर्थता दर्शवली होती. गेली दोन वर्षे या कार्डबाबत केवळ चर्चाच सुरू असून आता तर हा विषय प्राधान्यक्रमातही नाही. 'मोअर' कार्डाची योजना येण्यापूर्वी, मेट्रो, मोनो आणि बेस्टसाठी एकच स्मार्ट कार्ड तयार करण्याच्या तेव्हा बासनात ठेवलेल्या योजनेचे पुनरुज्जीवन करण्याचा निर्णय एमएमआरडीएने घेतला असल्याचे महानगर आयुक्त यूपीएस मदान यांनी स्पष्ट केले. या कार्डात रेल्वेचा समावेश होऊ शकतो, मात्र त्यांना रेल्वे बोर्डाकडून परवानगी घ्यावी लागेल. त्यात बराच वेळ जाऊ शकेल. त्यामुळे या सहभागाबाबत रेल्वे नंतर विचार करू शकेल. मेट्रो आणि मोनो या सेवा सुरू होत असल्याने एमएमआरडीए स्वतंत्रपणे स्मार्ट कार्ड तयार करण्याच्या प्रक्रियेस चालना देण्याचे ठरवले आहे, असेही मदान म्हणाले.

26-06-2013
PRIME MINISTER DEDICATES PIR PANJAL RAILWAY TUNNEL (THE LONGEST TRANSPORTATION TUNNEL OF INDIA) TO THE NATION

.. .. ..

HISTORIC RAILWAY LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN KASHMIRVALLEY AND JAMMU REGION.

THE 17.7 KM RAIL LINK PAVES WAYFOR THE FUTURE RAIL CONNECTIVITY OF KASHMIR VALLEY WITH THE NATIONAL RAILWAY SYSTEM.

New Delhi, June 26, 2013

Ashadha 05, 1935

The Indian Railways added another feather in its cap with the historic milestone of connecting Kashmir valley with the Jammuregion. The  Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh dedicated the newly constructed railway line between Banihal (Jammu region)-Qazigund (Kashmir valley) section to the nation  by flagging off  the first DEMU train from Banihal through the Pir Panjal tunnel- the longest transportation tunnel of India, from Banihal Railway station in Jammu & Kashmir today.  Chairperson, UPA, Smt. Sonia Gandhi,  Governor of J&K, Shri N.N. Vohra,  Minister for Railways, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nagi Azad Chief Minister of  J&K, Shri Omar Abdullah,  and Dy. Speaker, Vidhansabha, J&K, Shri Sartaj Madani were also present o­n the occasion.

Ircon International Ltd., a PSU under the Ministry of Railways, has been the principal executing agency for Northern Railway to execute the work of Dharam-Qazigund Section of USBRL Project which includes Banihal-Qazigund section and Pir Panjal Tunnel.

The Kashmir Valleyrailway ( Qazigund-Baramulla section) is a 119 km long modernrailwayline that became completely operational in October 2009. So far it is an island railway, not yet connected to the Indian Railway network. It connects Baramula in the western part of Kashmir to Qazigund at the other end of the Valley, via Srinagar. With today’s dedication of this challenging project to the nation, the extension of this railway line beyond the Pir Panjal Mountains in to the Jammu region has been achieved with trains running o­n the new railway section of Qazigund-Banihal. The 17.7 km long rail link paves way for the future railway connectivity of Kashmirregion with the national railway network. 

On 28th December, 2012, the first trial run train was operated o­n this section of Qazigund-Banihal which is 17.7 kms long, of this 6.5 km is o­n cutting and embankment including bridges. This section mostly consists of a 11.2 km long, Tunnel T-80 which pierces through the Pir Panjal range, providing a direct rail connection between the KashmirValley and Jammu region.  About 11,78,500 cubic meters of earthwork in cutting and filling has been done. The maximum depth of cutting o­n this section is 15.20 meters and maximum height of embankment is 16.70 meters. 39 bridges have also been constructed in this section which include two major bridges, 30 minor bridges and 7  Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges. The total expenditure of Rs. 1691.00 cr. has been incurred by the railways to complete this section.
Tunnel T-80 has been provided the State of the Art systems with CCTV cameras at every 62. 5 m, linear fire detection system, fire fighting system with fire hydrants at every 125 m, emergency telephone with communication to control room at every 250 m, fire extinguishers and fire alarm at every 250 m, air quality monitoring system at every 500 m, escape route signs to guide the shortest escape route in emergency at every 50 m, emergency lighting and normal lighting and public address system. A 3.0 m wide road along the track for rescue and maintenance purpose has been constructed with a 772.0 m long escape tunnel to provide additional escape route.  Tunnel ventilation system has been  provided which consists of 25 fans along the tunnel, installed in the ceiling of tunnel in groups of 5 each.
Falling in difficult and mountainous terrain, the State of Jammu & Kashmir has always been a challenge to transportation providers. Other factors which increase the difficulty in providing modes of mass transportation is that the area is geologically unstable, prone to tremors and earthquakes, with deep gorges alternating steep between rocky mountains. For any construction activity, the weather is quite inclement too. Long months of incessant rains and heavy snow can put life o­n hold for many. But there is a positive fall out of this difficulty too. The residents of these areas have evolved fine traditions in handicrafts in the periods of being home bound and have made established themselves as the finest craftsmen in the world.

Northern Railway has worked in these circumstances and has created the most modern railway line in the Kashmir Valley which provides economical, all weather connectivity. This is something the residents appreciate, especially when other facilities grind to a halt in deep snow. While building this railway line, Northern Railway did not o­nly have to cope with the difficult terrain, geology and the weather. Since it was found to be imperative to complete this railway line at the earliest, construction was started simultaneously at different sites and as the stretch in the Kashmir valley rail link was completed before the rail link which would connect it to the remaining Indian Railway network, all rolling stock and other equipments required for construction and running of trains was transported by road and reassembled o­nce it had reached there. But the result is gratifying.

On commissioning of this section, the first rail link will be established between the Jammu Region and Kashmir Valley providing all weather connectivity with significantly reduced travel time through the Pir Panjal mountains. This will be an alternative connection between the two regions for the Jawahar Tunnel too, which is often snow bound during the winter months. With this section the distance between Banihal-Qazigund section has been reduced to 17.7 kms by railway line instead of 35 kms long road length.

With the completion of this section the Kashmir Valley has come a step closer to being connected to the remaining Indian Railway network, signifying the dedication and resolution of Northern Railway in providing rail connectivity to the farthest corners in its jurisdiction.

The Prime Minister also travelled in the train from Banihal to Qazigund along with a group of school children. (Full text of PM’s speech is available o­n the PIB website i.e. pib.nic.in)

Also o­n the occasion, the UPA Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi released a book titled “Pir-Panjal Railway Tunnel – a dream Realized” compiled by project team to commemorate the completion of this engineering marvel which gives an insider perspective to the challenging task of construction of Pir-Panjal Railway Tunnel through mighty Himalayas.

Local representatives of people also attended the function. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vinay Mittal, Member Engineering Railway Board,  Shri Subodh Jain. General Manager Northern Railway Shri V.K.Gupta, CMD IRCON, Shri Mohan Tiwari were among those present o­n the occasion.

The final rail link connecting India to Kashmir is here, hurrah but wait a bit. Built at a cost of Rs.1,300 crore, the 10.96-km Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel between Qazigund in Kashmir valley and Banihal in Jammu region may be the hanging gardens of Babylon if you go by what the government says. But propaganda is well within the government's sphere of activities, what with a general election ahead in 2014.

While it's surely a feat to be praised with a certain amount of mountain moving, there are some chinks in this story. The biggest chink: The track ends at Banihal station. Rail passengers from Baramulla and Srinagar and other places in the Valley will have to bus/taxi over 125 km to Udhampur to catch sight of the next pair of rails that would take them to other parts of India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (first row) and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi (third row) with school girls travel on the first diesel EMU train from Banihal in Jammu to Qazigund in Kahmir valley on June 26, 2013. Imagine sitting through an 11-km tunnel just to take a long bus ride to resume your train journey. The network linking Banihal to Udhampur will take a long time and lots of more money to become a reality. So let's wait for the cake then.

It's not lost on the Kashmiri that the link would open up a new mode of transport for the army to ferry in supplies and men in case of you-know-what. That's possibly the reason fresh terror strikes greeted Srinagar a few days before Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came to Kashmir for the ceremony to unveil/inaugurate the service.

What remains is more than 80 per cent of the project's Jammu part, passing through treacherous terrain, and this includes Banihal's rail link to Katra town, which is the base stop for the Vaishnodevi shrine.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in a report has already panned the railways for the slow progress of the project (commissioned around 2002) and warned of the cost multiplying.

So it seems the real railway integration of Kashmir to the rest of the country will be another decade-long train journey. Apart from the red tape, it would be wise for the authorities to account for disaster management given the upheaval that has been imposed on Uttarakhand this monsoon.

There is a growing fear that development projects in Kerala pertaining to the railways, seaports, and even water resources are being scuttled by a Tamil Nadu lobby, Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran has said.“The experience is that in many instances railway development projects in Kerala fall victim to betrayal from the side of Tamil Nadu,” he said, while inaugurating a meeting here on Tuesday to commemorate the death of the INTUC leader Ben Morris.Mr. Sudheeran said it might not be deliberate, but the enthusiasm shown by the lobby for the railway development of Tamil Nadu was often at the cost of the railway needs of Kerala.The bifurcation of the Palakkad railway division was a perfect example, he said. The division was split in spite of the strong opposition from Kerala.

Salem division

But the Tamil Nadu lobby at that time was led by former Union Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu. The strange aspect of the bifurcation was that the new division (Salem) got more area than the parent division.

Now the proposed Nemom coaching terminal was also getting scuttled, Mr. Sudheeran said. There were even reports that the project would be withdrawn. All people concerned should take the development seriously because the Nemom coaching terminal was seen as a major component of the railway development programme of the State, he said.

Mr. Sudheeran said the creation of a new railway division based in Kozhikode was vital for the railway development of the State. Having more divisions would strengthen Kerala’s claim for a separate railway zone, he said. Mr. Sudheeran called for a change of railway policy so as to ensure more efficiency by increasing staff strength.

Another big problem that Kerala faced was the shortage of coaches good enough for comfortable travel. Coaches of the trains running within Kerala were taken to Tamil Nadu for periodic overhauling, but the ones sent back were seen to be worse than those sent.

The meeting was organised by the INTUC affiliated workers attached to the Kollam railway goods shed. The meeting was presided over by the INTUC national secretary K. Suresh Babu. N. Peethambara Kurup MP, P.K. Gurudasan MLA and Congress leaders, N. Azhakeshan, A.K. Hafeez and K. Karunakaran Pillai spoke.

The bifurcation of the Palakkad railway division is a perfect example, says V.M. Sudheeran.

BANIHAL, J&K: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday flagged off the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu region with Qazigund in Kashmir Valley.

The newly constructed station here, 125 km from summer capital Srinagar, was decked up with flowers and garlands to receive the VVIPs for flagging off the first train which will pass through 11 km tunnel through Pir Panchal range.

The eight-coach train carrying school children and officials of IRCON and Railways reached Qazigund in 25 minutes.

The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km long tunnel, the country's longest, reduces the 35 km distance to 18 km. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore.

The Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi boarded the train before its departure and interacted with the school children. They returned to Banihal from the new tunnel. The Udhampur-Banihal section is expected to be completed by 2017 connecting the Valley to the rest of the country round-the-year without any hindrance.

The train will make regular operation from Banihal to Baramulla in north Kashmir from June 27. The Banihal-Baramulla -Banihal train will make five trips daily beginning at 7.10am from Banihal and 7.35am from Baramulla.

Besides the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, others present on the occasion were Governor N N Vohra, chief minister Omar Abdullah, railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Train service is already operational within Kashmir Valley on the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir. This was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 11, 2008. T

he tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian Tunnelling Method, which has been used for the first time on such a large scale in India. This method optimises the tunnel design by mobilising the inherent ground strength in adopting a curved section, providing primary support system immediately after excavation and monitoring the ground behaviour while permitting it to develop its inherent strength.

A three-metre wide road has been provided inside the tunnel for maintenance and emergency rescue and relief operations. The tunnel has been made water-proof by providing continuous PVC membrane between primary and secondary lining.

BANIHAL

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Wednesday, after inaugurating the Qazigund-Banihal railway line termed it as “an engineering miracle.”

“Struggling the weather and geographical challenges, the railway engineers have done a splendid job for which they are worth congratulations,” the Prime Minister said while speaking at a rally in Banihal.

On the final day of his two-day visit to the state, the prime minister opened nearly 11-km-long tunnel to link the towns of Bannihal and Qazigund in the two regions.

The Prime Minister termed the completion of the project as “a dream come true”. “The dream of linking the valley by train was dreamt by then Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1885, later, Indira Gandhi dreamt the same dream and by the efforts of UPA government, the same dream has come true,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister further said that the Qazigund-Banihal train will reduce the difficulties of the people because it will remain open in all the twelve months of the year.

The rail connectivity will cut the present surface distance between the two towns by 18 km.

The prime minister boarded the train which carried children on its first run through the Pir Panjal mountain range tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in India and the second longest in Asia.

He shook hands with the children on board and sat with them as the train wound its way through the tunnel.

Manmohan Singh then went back to Bannihal on the same train to address a public meeting in the town.

The 10.96 km railway tunnel has been built at a cost of Rs.1,300 crores. An eight-coach train will operate on the route from June 27.

BANIHAL

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Wednesday, after inaugurating the Qazigund-Banihal railway line termed it as “an engineering miracle.”

“Struggling the weather and geographical challenges, the railway engineers have done a splendid job for which they are worth congratulations,” the Prime Minister said while speaking at a rally in Banihal.

On the final day of his two-day visit to the state, the prime minister opened nearly 11-km-long tunnel to link the towns of Bannihal and Qazigund in the two regions.

The Prime Minister termed the completion of the project as “a dream come true”. “The dream of linking the valley by train was dreamt by then Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1885, later, Indira Gandhi dreamt the same dream and by the efforts of UPA government, the same dream has come true,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister further said that the Qazigund-Banihal train will reduce the difficulties of the people because it will remain open in all the twelve months of the year.

The rail connectivity will cut the present surface distance between the two towns by 18 km.

The prime minister boarded the train which carried children on its first run through the Pir Panjal mountain range tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in India and the second longest in Asia.

He shook hands with the children on board and sat with them as the train wound its way through the tunnel.

Manmohan Singh then went back to Bannihal on the same train to address a public meeting in the town.

The 10.96 km railway tunnel has been built at a cost of Rs.1,300 crores. An eight-coach train will operate on the route from June 27.

Kashmir's dream of an all-weather surface link turned into a reality on Wednesday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the rail link between Banihal to Qazigund in the Valley. Singh and Gandhi jointly flagged off the first train on the 18-km-long section between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir, marking the start of the rail service to the Valley. The 8-coach train will make regular operation from Banihal to Baramulla from June 27 after the inaugural run on June 26. The Banihal-Baramulla-Banihal train will make five trips daily beginning at 7.10 AM from Banihal and 7.35 AM from Baramulla. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vora and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with other central ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad are expected to be present on the historic occasion. "We have seven pairs of trains to run between Banihal and Baramulla. Earlier there were five rakes only but now it has been increased," said a senior Northern railway official. The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km-long tunnel, will reduce the distance from 35 km (by road) to 18 km. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore. This rail section is very significant as it will provide an all-weather link to Kashmir Valley which often gets cut off from the rest of the country due to snowfall during winters. Passengers travelling by train from Kashmir Valley to Banihal can avail bus service from there till Udhampur where train service is available for the rest of the country. Northern Railway is coordinating with Jammu and Kashmir government for arrangements for the bus service. "The bus service will be available from Udhampur to facilitate passengers availing train from Banihal next month," a senior Northern Railway official said. Train service is already operational within Kashmir Valley on the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir. "It (Qazigund-Banihal section) was a challenging task. Besides the difficult terrain, land was acquired for the Kashmir rail link project in adverse law and order situation in the state," the official said. Trial run on Banihal-Qazigund section was successfully done on December 28 last year and since then trains carrying stones are running on regular basis.

Currently, problems are being faced by passengers travelling between Banihal and Qazigund due to closure of Jawahar Tunnel in winter months due to heavy snowfall.

Last winter, only one-way vehicular movement was allowed between Jammu and Srinagar on national highway. There were sudden closures for almost four months from December 2012 to March this year due to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions.

"All these problems will be reduced to a large extent by running of train services between Banihal and Qazigund," the Northern Railway official said, adding that "it will be a cheaper, faster and dependable mode of transport for the people."

Known as Pir Panjal tunnel, it is the longest transportation tunnel in India and third longest in Asia. The tunnel has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,300 crore and taken almost seven years to complete.

The tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian Tunnelling Method, which has been used for the first time on such a large scale in India.

This method optimises the tunnel design by mobilising the inherent ground strength in adopting a curved section, providing primary support system immediately after excavation and monitoring the ground behaviour while permitting it to develop its inherent strength.

A three-meter wide road has been provided inside the tunnel for maintenance and emergency rescue and relief operations. The tunnel has been made water-proof by providing continuous PVC membrane between primary and secondary lining.

It has also been equipped with the state-of-the-art air quality monitoring system, ventilation system, communication system, fire fighting system and emergency rescue system.

चारकोप-वांद्रे-मानखुर्द मार्गावर नियोजित असलेल्या दुसऱ्या मेट्रो रेल्वेच्या कारडेपोच्या जागेसाठी पर्यावरण मंत्रालयाकडून परवानगी मिळत नसल्याने हा प्रकल्प रखडल्याचे वरकरणी दिसत असले तरी या प्रकल्पासमोरील खरे आव्हान आहे ते धोरणात्मक निर्णयाचे. मुंबईसारख्या दाटीवाटीच्या शहरात आणि अरुंद रस्त्यांवरून या सुमारे ३२ किलोमीटर लांबीच्या मार्गावर उन्नत मार्गाने मेट्रो बांधणे अशक्यप्राय असल्याने या मार्गावरही भुयारी मेट्रोचा पर्याय पुढे आला होता. पण राज्य सरकारच्या धोरण लकव्यामुळे दुसऱ्या मेट्रोचे भवितव्य अधांतरी लटकले आहे.
चारकोप-वांद्रे-मानखुर्द मेट्रो रेल्वे
* मुंबईतील दुसरा मेट्रो रेल्वे मार्ग. लांबी ३१.८७ किलोमीटर.
*  २७ स्थानके नियोजित. २२ लाख प्रवाशांसाठी उपयुक्त ठरेल
* या प्रकल्पाची सुरुवातीची किंमत ८२५८ कोटी.
* कारडेपोचा प्रश्न पर्यावरण परवानगीच्या कचाटय़ात अडकल्याने चार वर्षे उलटूनही काम सुरू नाही. मूळ नियोजनानुसार २०१० पासून पूर्ण जोमाने काम सुरू होऊन २०१४ मध्ये ते संपणार होते. त्यामुळे आता प्रकल्प खर्चात किमान दीडपट वाढ झाल्याचा अंदाज.
नवे काय?
केंद्रीय पर्यावरणमंत्री जयंती नटराजन यांच्या नुकत्याच झालेल्या मुंबईत दौऱ्यात दुसऱ्या मेट्रो रेल्वेसाठी चारकोप व मानखुर्द येथे कारडेपोच्या जागेसाठी पर्यावरण परवानगी देण्याचा प्रश्न पुन्हा चर्चेला आला. चारकोपला १९.७ हेक्टर तर मानखुर्दला २४ हेक्टरची जागा हवी. तेथे गाडय़ा धुण्याच्या प्रश्नावरून प्रकरण रेंगाळले आहे. नटराजन यांनीही पुन्हा एकदा लक्ष घालण्याचे आश्वासन दिले. त्यामुळे चर्चेचे गुऱ्हाळ सुरू राहण्यापलीकडे काहीच साध्य झालेले नाही. वसरेवा-अंधेरी-घाटकोपर या साडेअकरा किलोमीटर लांबीच्या उन्नत मार्गाने (रस्त्यावर खांब उभारून त्यावरून जाणारी मेट्रो) जाणाऱ्या मेट्रो रेल्वे प्रकल्पामुळे या पट्टय़ातील रस्त्यांची अवस्था बिकट झाली आहे. केवळ रस्त्याची अवस्था खराब झाली असे नव्हे तर ठिकठिकाणी रस्ते अरुंद झाले. त्यामुळे मुंबईसारख्या दाटीवाटीच्या शहरात उन्नत मार्गाने मेट्रो रेल्वे बांधणे जवळपास अशक्यप्राय आहे.
जुने काय?
बळजबरीने असे प्रकल्प राबवलेच तर केवळ ते रखडतील असे नव्हे तर मुंबईतील रस्त्यांची चाळण होईल व शहर बकाल होईल या निष्कर्षांवर मुंबई महानगर प्रदेश विकास प्राधिकरणातील अधिकारी आले होते. त्यांनी ही बाब मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण यांच्या लक्षात आणून दिली. तसेच कुलाबा ते सीप्झ या तिसऱ्या मेट्रोच्या धर्तीवर पर्यावरण परवानगीच्या प्रश्नामुळे रखडलेला दुसरा मेट्रो रेल्वे प्रकल्पही भुयारी मार्गानेच बांधावा असा पर्याय सुचवला होता. २०१२ मध्ये या पहिल्या मेट्रो रेल्वेच्या कामाच्या पाहणीनंतर मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण यांनीही चारकोप-वांद्रे-मानखुर्द मेट्रो रेल्वे भुयारी करण्याबाबत पर्याय खुला असल्याचे संकेत दिले होते. भुयारी रेल्वेच्या स्थानकांबाबतही प्रश्न असले तरी उन्नत मेट्रोच्या बांधकामापेक्षा ते सोडवण्यास सोपे आहेत. त्यालाही आता वर्ष उलटून गेले तरी राज्य सरकारने दुसऱ्या मेट्रो रेल्वेबाबत ठोस धोरणात्मक निर्णय घेतलेला नाही.

लोकमधील महिलांच्या सुरक्षेसाठी ठोस पावले उचलण्याबाबत न्यायालयाने वारंवार आदेश देऊनही रेल्वे प्रशासन त्याबाबत अद्याप उदासीन असल्याची बाब राज्य सरकारने मंगळवारी उच्च न्यायालयाच्या निदर्शनास आणून दिली. महिलांच्या सुरक्षेचा मुद्दा लक्षात घेऊन राज्य सरकारने रेल्वे प्रशासनाला गृहरक्षक उपलब्ध करून देण्याची तयारी दाखवली. मात्र त्यासाठीचा निम्मा खर्च उचलण्याचा प्रस्ताव रेल्वे प्रशासनाने फेटाळून लावल्याने ही योजना बारगळल्याचे सरकारतर्फे सांगण्यात आले. त्यावर गृहरक्षक तैनात करण्याचा ५० टक्के खर्च रेल्वे प्रशासनाने उचलण्याचे आदेश अखेर न्यायालयाला द्यावे लागले.
दरम्यान, महिलांच्या सुरक्षेबाबत निवृत्त न्यायमूर्ती धर्माधिकारी यांच्या अध्यक्षतेखालील समितीने केलेल्या शिफारशी स्वीकारणार की नाही याबाबतचा निर्णय ३१ ऑगस्टपर्यंत घेण्याचे आदेश न्यायालयाने या वेळी राज्य सरकारला दिले.
ठाणे-वाशी लोकलमध्ये तरुणीच्या झालेल्या विनयभंगाबाबतच्या वृत्ताची स्वत:हून दखल घेत न्यायालयाने याप्रकरणी जनहित याचिका दाखल करून घेतली होती. याशिवाय 'हेल्प मुंबई फाऊंडेशन' या संस्थेनेही मुंबईतील, विशेषत: लोकलने प्रवास करणाऱ्या महिलांच्या सुरक्षेचा मुद्दा याचिकेद्वारे न्यायालयासमोर मांडला आहे. मुख्य न्यायमूर्ती मोहित शहा आणि न्यायमूर्ती मनोज संकलेचा यांच्या खंडपीठासमोर या प्रकरणी सुनावणी झाली. त्या वेळेस न्यायालयाने आदेश देऊनही लोकल आणि स्थानकांवर अद्याप गृहरक्षक तैनात करण्यात आले नसल्याचे याचिकादारांच्या वतीने सांगण्यात आले.
त्यावर महाधिवक्ता दरायस खंबाटा यांनी रेल्वे प्रशासनाची अडेल भूमिका त्यात अडसर बनत असल्याचे न्यायालयाला सांगितले. रेल्वे प्रशासनाच्या विनंतीवरून, राज्य सरकारने १५०० गृहरक्षक उपलब्ध करण्याबाबत मंजुरी दिली. परंतु निम्मा खर्च उचलण्यावरून पुन्हा रेल्वे प्रशासनाने नकार दिल्यानंतर त्याबाबतचा आदेश मागे घेण्यात आल्याचे खंबाटा यांनी न्यायालयाला सांगितले. 
मॅन नव्हे, 'वुमेन पॉवर'..
रेल्वेकडे महिलांना पुरेशी सुरक्षा देण्यासाठी आवश्यक तेवढे मनुष्यबळ (मॅनपॉवर) नाही, अशी सबब रेल्वेच्या वकिलांनी पुढे केल्यावर न्यायमूर्ती मोहित शहा यांनी इथे 'वुमेन पॉवर'चा विषय सुरू आहे. तुम्ही मॅनपॉवरचे काय सांगता, असा सवाल करताच न्यायालयात हास्याची लकेर उमटली.