Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Venerable Dr Abdul Kalam and his team examined the Skybus Concept as presented by the inventor and then MD of Konkan Railway Mr. Rajaram, upheld the same and recommended to take the same forward.(Yr 2001, Exhibit 1 ) The safety case visualisation as required by Dr. Abdul Kalam was also completed by respected Dr Anil Kakodkar, Dr P Ramarao ( Both respected Padma Vibhushans and scientists), and a working Commissioner of Railway safety of Central circle- who declared that safety-wise Skybus is better than railway by bench marking process.(Exhibit 2)


The Delhi Metro Corporation lobbied strongly to get these committee's recommendations set aside by wrong and misleading advice to Ministry of Urban Development, and successfully used their considerable influence to get another committee headed by Dr Indiresan, with memebrs loaded from Delhi Metro and their own paid consultant RITES to see that Skybus is killed. Further when Dr Indiresan Committee could not condemn the project inspite of best efforts of Delhi Metro sponsored members, Delhi Metro got upset and wrote another letter to the Chairman of the committee which if read with comments given by Mr Rajaram parawise- makes an interesting reading.(Exhibit 3) Since Skybus could not be killed, another time consuming method was found out to start a research and development project on well proven railway technology, saying that more tests and trials are needed to be conducted! here comes the simple commonsense question whether Skybus is a case of research or a design project- with every single element already proven and used in the railway- but congifured to deliver better results. What is to be proven doing fresh research spending public money is not technically established. In fact when one follows all the existing codes of railways and design the railway system, by the by the by, Skybus also uses the same Standard Gauge used by all other metros in the world-then sytem falls by definition as pre-certified ! Only a third party has to certify that it is so after verfification. That is what TuV Rheinland Germany is prepared to do. In fact Chief Commissioner Railway Safety was clear that once the Act is specified giving them the authority, their railway knowledge is enough to certify the Skybus for public safety. On this ground only, the Urban Dev ministry after considering the Dr Indiresan report, decided to permit AP Government to go ahead with commercial Skybus project in Hyderabad. (Exhibit 4)

The technically shameless attempt by experts of Delhi Metro to compare the standard gauge based railway bogies of Skybus metro, running on standard steel railway track, with rubber tyred mono-rail systems of Singapore in 2001, with active cooperation of people in power, to derail the opinion of independent opinions of scientists and railway safety expert, so as to keep the expensive metro rail projects of Delhi metro going on, makes it clear of the malafides, which is self-evident. Then getting the Dr Indiresan committee appointed only to delay and get PMO Scientfic Advisors's positive view of Skybus, load the committee with vested interests of metro rail persons, and the way RITES tried to write technically unsustainable dissent note to stop further any consideration of Skybus which was over ruled by the rest of the members of the committee, followed by unashamed arrogant letter of Chief of Delhi Metro, finding fault with Dr Indiresan for not supporting the RITES views( His own paid consultant), still comparing the rail-based Skybus with rubber tyred based system, confirms the malafides of the Delhi Metro to systematically sabotage and block the superior Indian technology, even after proving the same in dynamic trials.

I pray that Hon'ble Justice go through the letters I addressed to Cabinet Secretary and other Cheif Secretaries. Exhibit 5 & 6).

When engineers no more work like designers for the country's interest but join a gang to bleed the country, the Delhi Metro rail is the result. Over priced and under performing , financially bleeding white elephant!

I filed complaints with CAG and CBI too for the criminal nature of fraud taking place on the nation.( Exhibit 6 & 7). A complaint has been filed with the President of India too.

I also have finally formally filed complaint with the President of India. ( Exhibit 8)

Now, that Government is going ahead with their another mega project of Mumbai as well as Bangalore and Hyderabad with avoidable expenditures of tens of thousands of crores to create dangerous derailment prone railway systems within habitats with possibility serious collateral damage to no-users of railway, need less destructuin of built up property, while more elegant and safer solution duly pre-certified by definition, that is Skybus, is available, I seek finally the intervention of the Hon'ble courts to protect public interest- to call a halt and introspection over the hasy steps being taken by the Government of India and the concerned states.

We have had the more than century old railway technology, used in normal surface railway, or in under-ground metros- which is merely a railway in tunnel, or the elevated metro, which is the same railway running on a continuous bridge, managed the same with problems of derailments and capsizing! Now the same technology we use, in Skybus, but with an improvement that no more danger of derailment and capsizing can take place- then how come the engineers are trying to contest saying that it is now unsafe? At the most, they may argue that like old railway it will still derail and capsize- and the improvement is not effective- but they cannot say it is now unsafe, not tested! It is so self-evident system that it needed very convoluted thinking on the part of engineer-advisors to the government, to compare the railbased Skybus with a rubber tyred system and confuse the government, wantonly misleading the authorities, who also seem to be willing and ready to look confused! This is evident from the files of the Urban Development Ministry, if one collects the comments of Delhi Metro head.
This is nothing less than criminal fraud- particularly to lobby to set aside the opinion of venerable scientists like Dr Abdul Kalam and Dr Anil Kakodkar as well as a serving commissioner of railway safety. Fraud because the nation is being forced to spend thousands of crores more and getting country impoverished buyng off more expensive and less safe railway metro systems, and criminal because, knowingly a danger prone railway train is being put on the median of road, which cannot be guranteed against escaping the railway trakcs and jump on road-users, when a guranteed railway system like Skybus is available which is safer!
The current rush by the state governments with active encouragement of central government promising even viability gap funding is a typical case of "Draupadi syndrome" : all steps taken are procedurally correct, all bureaucrats and politicians protected- but the country is paying two to three times the cost needed to provide urban metro transport. Delhi Metro may have a defence- saying that they did not know about Skybus metro rail when they sanctioned- but now the Govt. has no excuse, to actively become a product seller for the benefit of certain foreign technology companies to the detriment of India! To indicate the magnitude of the implications, for example, the Mumbai City can be provided with safer , rail based fast mass transit for 60 lac passengers a day at less than Re one per killometer in aircondition comfort, without any viability gap funding from Government, spending only Rs 6000 cr! But Government is planning to spend Rs 20,000 cr to achieve much less and endangering the road safety too! Letters written to Cabinet Secretary, Cheif Secretary, Prime Minister and the results obtained at the test track proving the safety issues of Skybus- all are being kept aside, by the Government saying Skybus raiway is not proven, while again using the same railway technology as proven if it is in case of metro railway! Consultants who are self-serving today don't have any responsibility fixed on them-admminstrators take consultants' name, and get the advice they want and act, without taking responsiblity for the action.
I pray that Hon'ble court may take cognisance of my last letter to Government, not to become a product seller but protect public interest-Exhibit 5 and , in their wisdom, issue directives to Government to protect public interest.
I make this prayer as the inventor and the technology developer who has assigned all the patent rights to the people of the country, to serve public interest . Being a retired public servant, I am not financially strong to support the legal costs- I feel I have done my duty by bringing this issue on record of the Hon'ble courts to take it further.

8 Comments:

Blogger Rajiv said...

Is there any update on this project? Will the Skybus ever get a chance to run commercially in India? I have ben following this project for 4 years now.

11:46 PM  
Blogger Engr. B. Rajaram ;Inventor ACD/Skybus said...

The day our country's political rulers can think of self-esteem of Indians, and care for common people, the Skybus will appear!

11:12 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

5:44 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

The first step should be setting up tracks in campuses like IIT's, IT companies, Technology parks. It should be purely done to showcase the merit of the system. This is how H-bahn started its joureny.

Skybus will surely see the light. But I am sure, the benefits will not be for India. I strongly urge the Skybus team to bid for projects in other developing countries. Without a doubt, Skybus will come on top, that will be true vindication to the great piece of technology.

As for the Metro lobby, the news hungry media will do the rest.

5:51 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Is it not an irony that it is the same india which gave the number '0' to the world and then gave zero (=nothing) to the world since!!!!
This attempt (by an Indian) to deliver high caliber public transport with good quality and safety would have been up and running in other countries by now had B Rajaram born outside India.
Wake up India and Indians!!!!

8:38 PM  
Blogger vaibhav said...

Sanjeev Naik, First Mayor of Navi Mumbai said navi Mumbai shall have sky Bus Service

I have seen this city growing and developing since my childhood. The rate of this growth is tremendous. There might be few lacunae. Still, a lot more work is required to be done. CIDCO and NMMC have been making their best efforts to make this city at par with
international standards. We have achieved it to a great extent. Our railway stations, the Palm Beach road etc. are exemplary. And, now soon an international airport will come here. So, in my opinion its not incorrect to call it the city of the 21st century.

http://www.vashi2panvel.com/Navi-Mumbai-News/index.php?arr=item/1085

http://navimumbai-naiksanjeev.blogspot.com

1:19 AM  
Blogger SSJ said...

I think this is not the fight of Dr Rajaram as an individual, to push his inventions through. But a strong favourable public opinion is needed to fight against the bias and discrimination of the powers that be and vested interests that work against this great indian invention.

I think our greatest advantage against the detractors is the 1.6 km long SkyBus test track, we already have in Goa.

The easiest way to make public aware of its potential and inherent safety aspects and create the much needed public opinion in favor of this technology - is to make SkyBus travel in this track a tourist attraction and throw open to public.

Dr Rajaram, your thoughts pl?

12:33 AM  
Blogger Smarajit Roy said...

I understand that there isa proposal to demolish the Goa Sky train tracks.I want to form a protest group. Please write to me to support me at < ceo.cwbs@gmail. com >

Dr. Smarajit Roy.

2:27 PM  

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