E-Paper
‘At the Pune railway station I personally conduct inspections on regular basis’
PUNE Renu Sharma, divisional railway manager (DRM) of Pune railway division speaks about the division’s work last year and its plans for future.
PUNE Renu Sharma, divisional railway manager (DRM) of Pune railway division speaks about the division’s work last year and its plans for future.
When you look back at 2020, what major achievements do believe the Pune railway division has achieved?
Safety of the train operations was our main focus. Railway track maintenance and improvement in signalling systems were some of the focus areas we worked hard on last year. As passenger trains were not running during lockdown, so we used our funds accordingly, more for development of our railway tracks and stations than passenger amenities.
Overall, train operations and train punctuality improved in the last one year. At present, our focus is on loading of goods. Passenger trains are few, but we are taking all the necessary safety precautions related Covid at the stations. We followed all the guidelines given by the central and state government regarding the train operations. Safety information is displayed at each and every railway station and inside the trains, related to Covid. There was not a single unsafe incident on the railway tracks in the division last year.
We voluntarily gave some optional services at the Pune railway station like luggage sanitation machines, face masks, hand sanitisers and other safety equipment for passengers. It is not compulsory for passengers, those who need it they can buy it at the station before travelling.
What works were carried out by the division during the lockdown period?
As passenger train operations were less, we are now focusing on maintenance and safety works. In this, we have recently completed the work of overhauling of 24 level crossing (LC) gates. For 11 LC gates we inserted boxes for subway roads and at four locations girders were replaced by concrete slabs. Apart from that, the doubling of railway tracks is going on at full speed across the division on various routes. While Pune to Kolhapur electrification work is on, it will be complete this year, 2021.
At the Pune railway station I personally conduct inspections on regular basis. We are doing repairing and maintenance of circulating areas and platforms. Also flooring work at the platform No 1 is going on and new benches for passengers are being installed. For safety, we have stopped the entry from the ramp coming inside the station from the main chowk. When passenger movement gradually increases, then that entry gate will be opened as per requirement.
What would be your appeal to passengers using the Pune railway station?
As the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us a lot about personal hygiene and safety precautions, so every passenger needs to maintain social distance and wear a face mask while travelling by train. Only those people should come to the railway stations that are required to come, or are travelling. Avoid unnecessary crowding. It is our responsibility to keep our railway station and environment clean. Often we see people don’t have common civic sense. The railway station and the trains are our own property, our country’s property and we should treat it properly and keep it clean.
