Elected reps should be bridge between people, govt

Commuter organisations have demanded more suburban services to reduce crowding in trains. Representation Pic/Satej Shinde

City-based railway commuter organisations on Friday stated the candidate who solves day-to-day railway problems would win their vote. Asking politicians to view Mumbai's 85 lakh commuters as a vote bank, they said they wanted their representatives to travel via train to understand their issues. Most passenger associations also urged candidates to restore the senior citizen concession, which had been scrapped a few years ago, once they came to power, according to a report in this paper.

While there were several demands, including commuting in peak hours to comprehend the problems commuters face, this is a mirror to how lakhs travel daily and there must be a serious effort to alleviate troubles. We need candidates committed to ensuring punctuality and upping the safety quotient during travel. We understand that there is the Railways for that, yet, those in power must have an understanding and empathy with travellers, so that commuting becomes better and less stressful. Even projects or repairs to Railway infra that are inordinately delayed need to be addressed and smoother overall functioning with different agencies co-ordinating, instead of passing the buck is key. Long distance services, say commuters need to be expanded.

While every suggestion may not be feasible, what this shows is the cry of the common man to be heard and the longing to see action on the ground, when complaints with merit are filed.

A good situation would be political representatives that push for a bridge between people and authorities, see that the former are heard and have a legit avenue to voice their problems and seek solutions. Win people's votes, hearts and minds too as belief that things can change for the better, begins at the basic, local, everyday level.