As in the past we commission transport services which are not useful to the commuters and thereby spending crores of rupees on the project. Monorail is one such toy train. People wanted to just experience the ride and not seriously interested in using it on regular basis. Further, after a fire mishap, the future of monorail has become uncertain. Thus monorail has become a toy train and people go just or joy ride and nothing else. Thus, the very purpose of spending crores of rupees gets defeated and there is no accountability on this huge expenditure. The stations like Chembur and Wadala have become a family picnic spot and failed to improve the life line of Mumbai in any way. It is indeed an experience that most of the people have enjoyed. The main issue, however is, how many of them consider it to be a serious mode of transport within the city. It is evident that the billion dollar project is yet to be taken seriously as a mode of transport and commuters in Mumbai prefer local trains and monorail becomes a monotonous joy ride and only children will enjoy the ride. It appears that monorail is just a white elephant and no useful purpose is served.
Jayanthy S. Maniam
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
