A PIL for Namma Railu aka Commuter Rail Service (CRS)

If there is nobody working behind the scenes to scuttle CRS, why is it not happening then?

I think it has to do with the quantum of investments necessary. RITES has quoted some 8300 crores but this does not include land acquisition for tracks doubling at some locations & new station additions. So, the costs might well be much, much higher since land is very pricey & only DPRs will bring out how much more investment is needed.

I think GoK wants to know these figures before commitments are made.

Friends,

  PIL for CRS would be effective only with a proper strategy.   Since the CRS is not at the project stage, I mean, it is not shovel ready, (it has to go through several stages DPR, SPV, fund allotment etc), the court order even if it is positive would only direct the government to consider CRS without giving the timelines (as they can always argue that each stage can take its own time).  

However, if we pit the Metro to airport against CRS, the judge will have clear choice to make at least to say which will come first.  Since the funds required for the airport metro is already allotted, the court may ask the government to divert the funds to CRS.  

As the PIL means public interest litigation, the court has to rule which is better in the interest of the public or which project should get first priority.  

So the jist of the PIL should be

' The GOK has two projects in front of them which are of interest to people of Bangalore and sorrounding areas.  one project (Metro to airport 33 kms )costing 5,700 cr and helps fewer than 1% of the bangloreans (mostly elite class) and second (more than 400 kms of commuter rail)  which costs 8000 cr and helps more than 25% of the bangaloreans and surrounding areas and mostly caters to middle class and lower middle class.    Let the government takeup the most critical project (i.e, Obiously CRS) and move the funds to the CRS project.     

Courts generally refrain to direct govt to spend money, especially as high as 8000 crore, it is prerogative of the lower house only. Also the land transfer from state govt to railways. But very less expensive things like procuring of 5 MEMUs, and financing pit lanes, longer platform etc courts can give directive, even immediate relief. But legal expenditure is high here, unless you go for a reputed lawyer and associates it is difficult to draw attention of the courts.

What is the WP on Syed?

Yes, you had expanded WP in your earlier post itself.  Question was... what is the Writ Petition asking for?  Is there some case going on in a lower court?  What is that case?

I could not find any details on the HC website.

The APSRTC buses, which are now carrying three million people a day, will be reduced drastically on the metro corridors so that people are forced to use the metro by paying higher charges.  link

The PPP concession agreement for Hyderabad metro supposedly asks for the above. I think the document is not available or secret. We can ask if the gov agreement with BMRCL which promises it will not develop alternatives to metro.

"The concession agreement says: "The government shall not construct any rail or road transport system between, inter alia, the three metro corridors" for a period of 35 years from the date the metro rail becomes operational." link TOI

"Details of the WP is awaited. Sanjeev is in touch with him and he is trying to get more details."

Yes it would be interesting to find out what angle has been taken in this existing PIL, But i would be surprised if it is a comprehensive one.essentially because this would by nature be a difficult PIL to formulate.

Some angles:

1.What we might want as an immediate outcome (prayer) could be an admission by GOK that CRS is an active programme and steps they have taken and are committed to take in this regard.

2.CRS itself is a very very old proposal in bangalore.( the current heat is primarily because of praja advocacy).But tracing the history of government inaction thro the ages, would be one foundation setting for the PIL.And therefore by RTI or court order , bring the rationale of government policy inaction to public arena.

3.In effect the PIL can sound something like this.

"Everyone says , thro the ages that CRS is a great benefit for Bangalore.Lots of effort , project reports and therefore tax payers money has been spent on this.The current rites report too states without a iota of doubt of the the benefit and cost effectiveness of CRS.It is feared by the petitioners that this report too will be consigned to the dustbin without any real accountabilty to the citizens.We further believe that in the transportation arena , GOK is only intererested in activating high cost  and high image projects , and not those which actually benefit  the citizens,We believe that these projects promote only some elite segments requirements.

We would want the DULT, which is the body to integrate all modes of transportation in bangalore to give the court their clear opinion on the role and priority of CRS vis a vis other modes""

In short a PIL  which strengthens DULT 's power and policy making importance.

enuf said, more later, bye

vmenon

@psraja wonderful find... document throws the ball in states court. In fact it opens it to anybody who wants to run a train. Including cooperative societies. Shall we run a train ourselves then ? :)

What ever information I can gather from our friend Satyanderpal Chopra's PIL's prayer  before Karnataka HC is as follows:

   (i) Direct the concerned authorities to start the suburban rail service on SBC-Channapatna, SBC-YPR and SBC-Whitefield segments.

  (ii)  Direct the Railway Board to immediately implement the suburban train service on the existing rail infrastructure with or without the assistance of the Government of Karnataka.