Monday, December 14, 2009
PUNE CITIZENS TO UNITE
To demand metro rail project, to international standards, with wider coaches (12’-0”) on BG for seamless, non congested travel, even for the grandchildren of this city.
1. DMRC has goofed up, Pune Metro Rail Planning, by proposing narrow width (9’-6”) imported coaches & track, on SG(Standard Gauge-4’-8.5”), with NO provision for future increase in capacity, thus restricting capacity life to 25 years only (instead of 100 years feasible with wider coaches on BG –Broad Gauge—5’-6”)
2. Adoption of wider BG coaches, will provide 74% higher capacity than that with narrow width SG coaches and will save Rs 2300cr in capital investment in coaches only.
3. Best in the world 21st Century Metro Rail Technology is on BG (5’-6”) is commissioned in the year 2003 by BART – San Francisco USA, due to safer and more comfortable to commuters.
4. BG can negotiate sharp curves of 100 to 120m radius at higher speeds and can provide 2min service if required in future.
5. For equivalent volume of traffic, BG with wider coaches, will need less number of coaches per train, thereby, reducing train length, resulting in economy in land acquisition in depot, station platform, roof length and effect economy in energy consumption, operation and maintenance costs due to less number coaches.
6. BG with wider coaches will provide compatibility and connectivity with the existing BG network in Pune and help in disaster management in emergency
7. BG with wider coaches will save 40% of the cost of the project resulting in no provision for VGF subsidy and will reduce the fare structure to the commuters by almost 1/3rd.
8. DMRC’s latest DPR (Detailed Project Report) is defective, deficient and inconsistent in planning and selection of alignment priorities and lacks detailed investigation for its technical feasibility, specially, in crossing Pavna, Mula & Mutha rivers, alignment along the Paund Phata, underground alignment under the river, without adequate geotechnical investigations and grossly underestimates the cost by about 40%
9. The DPR prepared by DMRC Staff with limited / no expertise in this field, has not located the alignment in the field, as required under govt. guidelines, and is actually “a PPR” (a Reconnaissance Paper Project Report) with “Copy Paste” techniques, adopted from “Ludhiana and Faridabad” project reports earlier prepared by RITES
10. The priorities of alignment recommended are NOT in accordance with those recommended in the report, by the traffic experts and the assessment of future traffic demand has been limited to the year 2031, that is, 17 years after opening to traffic in 2014, instead of assessing it for at least 30 years i.e. up to 2045
11. DMRC has misguided the politicians and the bureaucrats, on techno-economic merits of SG vs BG and on the selection of alignment and on project costs.
12. Our experts comments on the technical feasibility, alignment selection, and all other basis of assessment of project requirements and costs, have been communicated, in writing DPR- chapter wise, to DMRC & PMC, with no replies, as they have no defense on our comments.
13. PMC & the Govt. want to, some how, push up the project irrespective of their merits, at the cost of the citizens, by way of heavy taxation and permanent inconvenience and abnormal high cost of the project, without taking the citizens into confidence.
14. The project is financially un-remunerative, at FIRR of 1.98, involving a VGF subsidy of around Rs 2500cr, which will be utilized for handing over to overseas manufactures for importing coaches & tracks and payment of fees of the foreign consultant which is not required for such projects, in view of IR’s capacity and expertise for planning and executing such projects. A shear waste of valuable foreign exchange of the country and is against the advice of the IR.
15. The Intelligent Citizens of Pune must unite and understand and appreciate, the wasteful expenditure of crores of rupees being incurred, under the advice and pressure of the foreign manufactures, in spite of the country having expertise in manufacture and execution of similar projects and standards, by imposing heavy taxation on Pune citizens by way of increased property tax, additional Cess on diesel and petrol, demolition of all structures within a radius of 500m of the alignment, cutting large number of trees, without environmental clearance of the project and causing permanent misery to the residents along the alignment
16. Implementation of BART project in Pune, without proper planning, has created a mess in Road Mass Transit Technology. Similarly, Pune Metro as planned, will result in creation of “hell” for the citizens of this city. Politicians should stop “Politicizing Technology”. And citizens must unite and empower their strength against the wrongful acts and decisions of the politicians and the bureaucrats, against the will of the citizens. Let citizens of Pune lead the country in this respect.
V.K.J. Rane – IRSE (Retd.) Ex-MD/IRCON -
Mr. Shankar Kalmani – Secretary Pune City Congress Committee
1. DMRC has goofed up, Pune Metro Rail Planning, by proposing narrow width (9’-6”) imported coaches & track, on SG(Standard Gauge-4’-8.5”), with NO provision for future increase in capacity, thus restricting capacity life to 25 years only (instead of 100 years feasible with wider coaches on BG –Broad Gauge—5’-6”)
2. Adoption of wider BG coaches, will provide 74% higher capacity than that with narrow width SG coaches and will save Rs 2300cr in capital investment in coaches only.
3. Best in the world 21st Century Metro Rail Technology is on BG (5’-6”) is commissioned in the year 2003 by BART – San Francisco USA, due to safer and more comfortable to commuters.
4. BG can negotiate sharp curves of 100 to 120m radius at higher speeds and can provide 2min service if required in future.
5. For equivalent volume of traffic, BG with wider coaches, will need less number of coaches per train, thereby, reducing train length, resulting in economy in land acquisition in depot, station platform, roof length and effect economy in energy consumption, operation and maintenance costs due to less number coaches.
6. BG with wider coaches will provide compatibility and connectivity with the existing BG network in Pune and help in disaster management in emergency
7. BG with wider coaches will save 40% of the cost of the project resulting in no provision for VGF subsidy and will reduce the fare structure to the commuters by almost 1/3rd.
8. DMRC’s latest DPR (Detailed Project Report) is defective, deficient and inconsistent in planning and selection of alignment priorities and lacks detailed investigation for its technical feasibility, specially, in crossing Pavna, Mula & Mutha rivers, alignment along the Paund Phata, underground alignment under the river, without adequate geotechnical investigations and grossly underestimates the cost by about 40%
9. The DPR prepared by DMRC Staff with limited / no expertise in this field, has not located the alignment in the field, as required under govt. guidelines, and is actually “a PPR” (a Reconnaissance Paper Project Report) with “Copy Paste” techniques, adopted from “Ludhiana and Faridabad” project reports earlier prepared by RITES
10. The priorities of alignment recommended are NOT in accordance with those recommended in the report, by the traffic experts and the assessment of future traffic demand has been limited to the year 2031, that is, 17 years after opening to traffic in 2014, instead of assessing it for at least 30 years i.e. up to 2045
11. DMRC has misguided the politicians and the bureaucrats, on techno-economic merits of SG vs BG and on the selection of alignment and on project costs.
12. Our experts comments on the technical feasibility, alignment selection, and all other basis of assessment of project requirements and costs, have been communicated, in writing DPR- chapter wise, to DMRC & PMC, with no replies, as they have no defense on our comments.
13. PMC & the Govt. want to, some how, push up the project irrespective of their merits, at the cost of the citizens, by way of heavy taxation and permanent inconvenience and abnormal high cost of the project, without taking the citizens into confidence.
14. The project is financially un-remunerative, at FIRR of 1.98, involving a VGF subsidy of around Rs 2500cr, which will be utilized for handing over to overseas manufactures for importing coaches & tracks and payment of fees of the foreign consultant which is not required for such projects, in view of IR’s capacity and expertise for planning and executing such projects. A shear waste of valuable foreign exchange of the country and is against the advice of the IR.
15. The Intelligent Citizens of Pune must unite and understand and appreciate, the wasteful expenditure of crores of rupees being incurred, under the advice and pressure of the foreign manufactures, in spite of the country having expertise in manufacture and execution of similar projects and standards, by imposing heavy taxation on Pune citizens by way of increased property tax, additional Cess on diesel and petrol, demolition of all structures within a radius of 500m of the alignment, cutting large number of trees, without environmental clearance of the project and causing permanent misery to the residents along the alignment
16. Implementation of BART project in Pune, without proper planning, has created a mess in Road Mass Transit Technology. Similarly, Pune Metro as planned, will result in creation of “hell” for the citizens of this city. Politicians should stop “Politicizing Technology”. And citizens must unite and empower their strength against the wrongful acts and decisions of the politicians and the bureaucrats, against the will of the citizens. Let citizens of Pune lead the country in this respect.
V.K.J. Rane – IRSE (Retd.) Ex-MD/IRCON -
Mr. Shankar Kalmani – Secretary Pune City Congress Committee
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