Systemless IRCTC cocks up its refund record In their defence, officials say complaints are because passengers are not aware of rules

Booking tickets on the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website? Just be sure you complete the transaction and undertake the journey. Complaints of refunds not being given on time, incomplete online transactions and passengers who have cancelled their online tickets not getting their money back on time are on the rise.
With no proper complaint mechanism in place, hapless railway passengers are airing their grievances on online consumer websites and shooting off letters and emails to the IRCTC. Passengers also claim that the phone numbers to register complaints provided by the IRCTC are always non-functional or busy.
The IRCTC contributes to nearly 15% of the revenue generated by the Indian Railways every year.
While local IRCTC officials from the western region were unreachable, IRCTC's national managing director Rakesh Kumar Tandon asked this journalist to point out specific cases.
Subhash Gupta, former member of the National Railway Users Consultative Committee, said, "IRCTC has a bad name as far as refunds are concerned. Refund transactions take time and there seems to be no proper mechanism in place to address complaints. I had to fight a case of a commuter from Ambernath who did not get his refund for more than a month. Initially, they told him that the money would be credited to the bank and then they backtracked."
Arun Saxena, president of the International Consumer Rights Protection Council, said he had a large number of passengers approaching him. "I have issued several notices to the IRCTC on refunds. The refund issue makes up a bulk of the complaints. The complaint numbers given by the IRCTC are never functional and passengers are left in the lurch," Saxena told DNA.
Other IRCTC officials stated that most of the complaints arise because passengers are not aware of categorical rules and there is only a need to set up a separate cell to address complaints.

Baby Simran comes to life; track Rajdhani from today

Track the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani and a host of other Rajdhani trains on-line from today. Just log in to http://www.simran.in/ and find out the train location, running position and location with respect to the next stop in terms of kilometres. DNA has reported that the railways had been working on this project on September 28.
The Indian Railways on Wednesday went live with the new satellite-based technology that would help commuters waiting at stations to track down the exact location of trains. Affectionately called Baby Simran, (the official name of the project is Satellite Imaging for Rail Navigation or SIMRAN), the project took railway ministry four years to complete.
The system will provide the public and passengers information such as train's running position (whether it is running on time or late and the duration of delay), and location with respect to the next stop in terms of kms.
A top Mumbai-based official said, "The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) at Lucknow and Kanpur IIT had been working on the project, which also involves getting details on mobile phones."
"The work is being done in a phase-wise manner. It's a Rs 100-crore project, and it will eventually connect all stations and trains. The project works on the principles of GPS navigation and radio frequency and would require installation of radio tags on locomotives, stations and control rooms connected to a central server. The process also involves digital mapping of stations,'' he elaborated.

penned a book entitled 'Aahe Loktantra Tarihi',

Thanekar pens a book on political reforms

Here is a collection book of most of the reform articles in the country that will be launched in Thane. Dr VinaySahasrabuddhe, a Thane resident and director general of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini has penned a book entitled 'Aahe Loktantra Tarihi', a book that has collection of articles which he has written. Sahasrabuddhe has always been writing articles on varied political topics in the country in various newspapers. This book will prove as a collection wherein one can read the various political party reforms, democratic reforms and parliamentary reforms. Dr Sahasrabuddhe who has also done his PhD on democracy has been writing various articles through different newspapers and magazines. This book will recollect all those articles. Dr Sahasrabuddhe said, "Recall is one of the ways to make the reforms feasible. This book has various reforms made by political parties, democracies and parliamentary reforms too." This book will prove beneficial for those students who are preparing for administrative examinations and also for general public who wish to know more about political and parliamentary affairs in the country. While giving examples, Dr Sahasrabuddhe said, "In country like Afghanistan, there has been a facility to vote online in their political elections. Though in India, it has been discussed still the facility of voting online in election is still in progress. All such reforms with reference to different countries are included in this book." The book will be inaugurated on October 22 at Tip Top Plaza. Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini is known for its training and research institutes. To continue the same it has come up with this book written by its director general that will help students and also general public to know more about reforms.

Changing weather increases health concerns, say doctors

Sudden change in weather coupled with daily power cuts are making residents of Thane, Mulund and neighbouring areas ill. Doctors say that since past one month, they have been witnessing increase in patients suffering from respiratory problems, diarrhoea, typhoid and bronchitis. They say that besides weather, the unavailability of water filters, air-conditioner and fan due to power cuts, people are prone to suffer from these ailments. Since last one month Dr Charu Durve, a general practitioner from Mulund is attending to patients of cough, cold and fever (respiratory problems), diarrhoea and tyhphoid. "Everyday I attend to 120-150 patients at my clinic. Out of these, 60-70 are patients of respiratory problems, 17-18 cent are of diarrhoea and around eight to nine percent are suffering from crude typhoid," he says. "Due to continuous erratic weather for the last one-and-half-month, the respiratory infections like cough, cold and fever are not responding to antibiotics also. And there are patients of diarrhoea who are also landing up in hospitals if not treated properly," he says. According to another doctor from Thane, the rise in these infections and ailments is also due to the unhygienic habits of people. "People spit everywhere without thinking about cleanliness and hygiene and in the process, infect others," he says adding that daily power cuts are also contributing to these ailments. "As power supply is cut water purifiers stop functioning, thus limiting the supply of pure and clean drinking water," he says. Even though the patients are treated for these ailments they again come for the treatment of repeated infections after two to three months. "As air-conditioners and fans stop working due to power cuts, there is no proper ventilation and it spreads respiratory infections," the doctor added.

Understanding thought forms Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai's new exhibition explores the intricate nature of our mind

Understanding thought forms

Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai's new exhibition explores the intricate nature of our mind


Charwei Tsai, a young Asian artist, is showcasing her work in her first solo exhibition in India. Previously in January, the Taiwanese artist was also part of a group exhibition here. Talking about the art scene in India she says, "The art works have many different expressions, it's really dynamic. The artists here put up very strong galleries. India gives a totally different experience and has a different culture as well."
Her exhibition named Thoughtforms, have installations that express the mind's energy — formulating and emanating themselves by means of mantras, sound vibrations and philosophy. The artist feels that the thought is centered on a form and the form around a thought. These Thoughtforms are living forces, which are structured, materialised and bound through the mind of their creator. Like love and its synonymous nature with loneliness; light with reference to accidental beauty and growth through the enlightenment of the mantra heart sutra. "I see my installations as an object, with a lot of inspiration. It comes from my heart, which is further evolving," says Charwei on her work. She further adds that her work is inspired from the Buddhist's notion of impermanence and the cyclical nature of human existence. "Growing up in Taiwan, your perceptions are constantly changing. Therein comes the whole notion of impermanence," she says. On observing her work one can see the usage of a lot of texts, "It's my personal style. The texts are almost like a language of a photographic image. But, it doesn't have any social message as such," she adds. Tsai's art reflects and conserves her thoughts, which in turn are platforms for viewers' reflections and perceptions.
Charwei presently lives and works in Taipei and Paris, has had solo exhibitions in places all over the world — like Taipei, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bogota. Apart from art, her literary affinity continuously grows in her biannual journal publication.

A complex craft! Cartoonist turned artist, Raghava KK explains the theme of his upcoming show in Mumbai titled Exquisite Cadaver

A complex craft!

Cartoonist turned artist, Raghava KK explains the theme of his upcoming show in Mumbai titled Exquisite Cadaver



Artist Raghava KK believes in reinventing his own style and experimenting with newer mediums. He started his career as a cartoonist some 10 years back but now explores several different genres like paintings, sculpture, installation, film, performances, etc. Raghava's upcoming show in India, titled Exquisite Cadaver, serves testimony to this.
"Exquisite Cadaver is a series of artwork that has arisen from a recent diasporic dilemma," he says. "I'm thrilled to be back in Mumbai after two years... Every time I come back, I show a different avatar to my audience here. This exhibition brings all my years of practice together and in a strange way unifies my disjointed selves. My cartoons play hide and seek with history."
Born in Bangalore in 1980, Raghava now shuttles between India and the US. He has worked with Grammy Award winning artist Erica Badoo to campaign for Blind children and children with AIDS; and even launched American singer-songwriter Paul Simon's Global Tour with his art works. Also, his works have been auctioned by the Queens Museum and Christie's NY. "I perform many roles — that of an artist, Indian, American, father, husband, parent, child, student, teacher. I am a thinker, a philosopher, an ingenue, and also a seller of beauty, a businessman, a politician. So fragmented is my identity, that I find it rather caricatured to identify with any one predominant role," he explains.
The name Exquisite Cadaver comes from a 19th century parlor writing game, also referred to as 'exquisite corpse', in which a sentence is constructed by a group. Similarly, the show too represents a complex search for identity and truth. "I play exquisite cadaver with my fragmented selves, creating a series of mythological characters, borrowing from tradition, history, and even my own nostalgia."

Kumbharwada is now city of LAMPS

With Diwali nearing, moulding clay to churn out thousands of diyas is serious business here

Right next to Dev Anand M Vagria's Jai Ambe pottery shop in Kumbharwada sits a massive pile of rubbish. A mobile dumpster shovels some of it off the ground with an ear-searing scrape and a million little flies shoot off in all directions. A woman in her 30s, carrying a Gucci clutch, is at the shop. But the nuisance is no distraction as she goes on insisting on a particular kind of five-sided diya that Vagria is unable to provide. The whole of Mumbai heads to Kumbharwada for diyas in the run-up to Diwali. The heat, the stench, the flies, none of it matters. No one — the customers, the shopkeepers, even the toddlers running back and forth between the kilns and the shops — has any time to waste. It's serious business. Vagria, 45, says on a good day, he makes up to Rs50,000 in the lead up to Diwali—a stunning change of pace from the Rs2,000, he manages during the rest of the year. Having been in the pottery business for 25 years, Vagria has seen it change quite a bit. "Ten years ago, we used to make only sada diyas (plain clay lamps). Today, you have over 200 varieties to choose from," he says. His shop is littered with diyas of varied shapes, sizes and colours — star-shaped, clam-shaped, intricate domes the size of a small cat, fixed up with mirrors and glitter, even diyas shaped like elephants. The whole street is a rush of colour and shine. Behind the shop is Vagria's distinctly dull and colourless house-cum-working quarters, where drying diyas line the walls. And the roles are clearly defined: women of the family paint the diyas, and the men either man the 'front desk' or work the massive cotton-topped kilns. In a small shanty room, covered with calendars of various deities, Nilesh Babutak, 25, is engaged in the hypnotic process of moulding shapes from a spinning lump of clay, specially imported from Thangadh near Rajkot in Gujarat. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a cakewalk. "Everyone starts with the small diyas. You make mistakes in the beginning, the clay breaks, but you learn. Then, as your hands get set, you move on to making the more intricate vessels." But elephant-shaped diyas are a challenge even skilled potters can't stand up to. Vagria says the more intricate designs are made in press-mould factories in Virar and Naigaon. To cater to the demands of an ever-growing customer base, even the potters of Kumbarvada have had to outsource. At the side of his shop, nearer to the pile of garbage, lie a couple of crates with unpainted, red-clay diyas. But Vagria says the plain diyas do quite well in terms of sales. "Older people want to buy the plain ones. The younger crowd looks for something different. So, we have to provide varieties of shapes and colours." It's the variety that gives Vagria the confidence to brush off the impending threat from imported plastic diyas from China. "That's never going to catch on in Mumbai. It's never going to replace the clay diya," he says nonchalantly. There's no reason to doubt his claim. Vagria is a fourth-generation potter, after all. His family has been in the business of moulding clay into a thousand different shapes for 160 years. His children, though, are not keen to carry the family business forward. His son's doing a BCom course and his daughter is in junior college. Doesn't he worry that there'll be no one to look after the business once he retires? Vagria flashes a pan-stained grin and says, "I have six brothers and they all have children. Someone or the other will pick it up. It's my great-grandfather's shop. Don't worry, we're not going to shut it down."

Are you Being Overcharged? Send SMS to know exact auto, taxi fare

The next time you feel the auto or taxi driver is overcharging you, send an SMS and find the exact fare you ought to pay for the distance travelled.
The Thane Regional Transport Office (RTO) had launched the SMS tariff card system for commuters two months ago.
"This SMS tariff card can be used by commuters across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to avoid being duped because of fake tariff cards or tampered meters," said a senior official from the Thane RTO.
However, the fares may not be exact at times because the waiting charge and the night charge for certain areas are not calculated. The fares are largely accurate and can be used as indicative fares," the official added.

Tariff Card for Autorikshaw

A commuter has to type ARC (short for auto rickshaw CNG) then space followed by the distance travelled in kilometres and send it to 9819954004. For example, if the meter shows 2.4km, the SMS will read ARC 2.4. To know the fare charged by petrol-run auto rickshaws, the commuter will have to type ARP followed by the distance travelled.
In case of taxis, the commuter will have to type TX followed by space and the distance travelled.
The commuter will receive the reply in less than 10 seconds. For instance: "For Taxi Meter Reading of 3.2, please pay Rs47.00. Thank You! - RTO, Thane."

Rigging e-meters in Taxi and auto rikshaw as easy as pushing a button

Jumped on the bandwagon that claims that electronic meters are the cure-all for meter tampering in autos? We'd suggest being a tad careful. The machines are a far cry from being tamper-proof, showed trials run by DNA on two different types of electronic meters on Saturday afternoon. A slight tinkering with them showed a substantial jump in fares. For the trial runs, we settled on two trips inside the Bandra-Kurla Complex — from near the RBI Bank signal till a U-turn near the Bandra-Kurla telephone exchange. The difference: the first meter was rigged and the other operated normally. During the first trip, the meter, made by the Standard Meter Manufacturing Company, began to register a rise in fare even before the minimum distance (1.6km) was covered. Besides, while the vehicle stood idle at the traffic signal near the Asian Heart Institute, a quick jump was reflected in the meter reading. At the end of the journey, the fare read Rs33 and the distance travelled, 5.9km. The second meter — of the National Meter manufacturing company, on the other hand, showed the first change in fare only after 1.6km were covered. What's more, the waiting charge at the signal did not add up on the meter too quickly either. This leg of the trial was easier on the pockets too, costing only Rs26 for a total distance of 4.6km. The e-meters used in the tests were the ones used briefly in 2007. The minimum fares were then Rs9 for the first 1.6km and Rs5 for every additional kilometre. And the tampering methods are a no-brainer. A mechanic installed a set of two wheels against the kilometre sensor, which sends signals to the actual meter. This 'ran' the meter faster, thereby, shooting up the reading of the distance covered. All this for just between Rs250 and Rs300 and the modifications took 10-15 minutes. The second meter was, in fact, more easily tinkered with — at simply the push of a button. Push it in and the fare gallops. Press it again, and voila, it runs normally. Union leader Tambi Kurien alleged that senior officials of the transport department knew of the methods of tampering with electronic meters but were turning a blind eye to them. "At our meetings with the officials, we showed them these tampering methods. But, the department insists on going ahead with the installation. Why don't they ask the manufacturers to look for ways to make the meters fully tamper-proof? If not, why can't they look for better ways of enforcement as well as sealing the existing mechanical meters so that there is no tampering?" State transport commissioner VN More assured of steps to ensure that companies supply meters that cannot be easily tinkered with.

Tata Group will contribute to restoration project of one of the world's fastest steam locomotives

Tatas add steel to the iconic Flying Scotsman

Group will contribute to restoration project of one of the world's fastest steam locomotives


One of the world's fastest steam locomotives ever, the Flying Scotsman, will be back, thanks to the Tatas. Tata Steel Europe (formerly Corus) will support the Flying Scotsman restoration project along with the Heritage Lottery Fund and a few other organisations, including contributions from the public.
"The Tatas are contributing all the steel required for the restoration of the iconic locomotive. It is expected to be ready by Spring 2012,'' Rogers Emma, interim press officer with the National Railway Museum, York, told DNA. Tata Steel Europe is Europe's second largest steel producer with main steel manufacturing operations in the UK and the Netherlands.
NRM director Steve Davies said the restoration of the Flying Scotsman was one of the most complex steam locomotive engineering projects of its kind undertaken in Britain. "I am more keen than anyone else to see the completion of this project. Though the project has been on for more than five years, we are extremely close to seeing Flying Scotsman steaming once again," Davies said.
The iconic locomotive was expected to be completed during the summer of 2011 but the project was delayed due to the discovery of a number of additional defects.
Work scheduled to take place on the Flying Scotsman in the next few weeks includes the fabrication and installation of a new mid-stretcher, machining of the axle boxes, manufacturing a new middle-motion bracket and the repair and installation of the horn guides.
"The Flying Scotsman was carefully dismantled over several months and each of her thousands of components were examined for wear and tear when engineers realised that the overhaul would have to be a full-scale restoration project," said an NRM official. "When the restoration is complete, the locomotive will be in its very best condition — as good as when it was during its first run, in 1923."