Birders spot rare grey plower, Oriental scops owl



Despite the scorching heat, over 300 birdwatchers came together on Sunday for the 13th annual Mumbai Bird Race. The enthusiasts, including school and college students, visited wetlands, forests, grasslands and other sites to spot birds.

“We had a fun time identifying various types of birds in Karnala Bird Sanctuary , Chirner, and Uran wetland sites. Among the significant sightings were plum-headed parakeet, rufous woodpecker, sulphur-bellied warbler, white-rumped shama, Eurasian curlew, whimbrel, greater flamingo and lesser flamingo,“ said paediatrician Dr Salil Choksi, who has been participating in the Mumbai Bird Race since its inception in 2005.

Mark D'Mello, a regular birder, told TOI: “We were very excited to spot the grey plower at Bhuigaon in Vasai.Students of Royal College, who were accompanying us, were thrilled to see the Asian paradise flycatcher and the Caspian tern.“ Another participating team spotted the rare Oriental scops owl at Malangad, near Kalyan.

Pravin Subramanian, one of the key organizers, said: “One team has claimed to have seen the grey plower bird, which is a rare find. We will confirm this through their photographs.“

Veteran birdwatcher, naturalist and among the founders of the Bird Race, Sunjoy Monga said: “Bird races have become extremely popular in various cities. The idea is to have a fun outdoors experience watching and appreciating birds and also raise concern about the dwindling bird habitat due to urbanization.“ Every year, 265 to 277 species are spotted at the bird races, he added.

Armed with binoculars and cameras and escorted by their teacher Jennifer Pinto, students of Gopi Birla Memorial School from Walkeshwar were thrilled to see various avian species within the city limits.

In a first, three tribal youngsters, who reside inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park, participated in the bird race, said organizers, who also thanked HSBC for consistently making the bird races a success over the years.

Fee planned if traveller interchanges between CR & WR in new fare system



MRVC Plan To Benefit Season Ticket Holders MRVC Eyes Revenue As It May Fetch Funds For Upgrade
A zone-based fare structure, similar to the one used in and around London, has been proposed for the city's suburban railway system.

The radical proposal can significantly reduce fares for many commuters in the city and its satellites, especially those who travel longer distances. However, those who change lines, say from CR to WR, may end up paying more.

The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has suggested that the entire suburban system be divided into four fare zones each on Western Railway and Central Railway's Main and Harbour corri dors. It claims it will be able to earn Rs 2,468 crore a year with the new fare model against Rs 1,556 crore at present.

The proposal, now with the Railway Board that takes the final call on fare revision, claims that of the 30 lakh season ticket holders using the suburban network, nearly 10.9 lakh (37.5%) will pay less. Under the zone system, the fare will remain unchanged irrespective of the distance travelled within a zone. For example, the Churchgate-Dadar (10.17 km) stretch will be a zone. Currently , there are two first class fare slabs: Rs 50 (Churchgate-Mumbai Central) and Rs 70 (Churchgate-Dadar). Under the proposed system, the fare will be Rs 25 irrespective of the station a person travels to between Churchgate and Dadar.

The proposal was made at the Rail Vikas Shibir in November where the PM sought ideas to improve the functioning of Indian Railways. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation has proposed a zonal fare system in an attempt to shore up revenues in the Mumbai suburban railway network. The system had incurred a loss of Rs 1,400 crore last year. Niti Aayog, the central planning body , had flagged concern about the poor financial health and had initially refused to approve funds for MUTP III unless there was a road map for improving revenue. The MUTP projects are critical to bolster Mumbai's rail infrastructure to keep up with the growing population.

“We need to shift from the telescopic fare structure to zonal system as the former does not do justice to those staying in the extended suburbs. The fare is low for those in south Mumbai for whom affordability is not an issue,“ said MRVC chairman and managing director Prabhat Sahai, adding, “There were thousands of ideas presented at the Rail Vikas Shivir. The board will examine each and assess whether to accept or work on the basic idea.“

The MRVC has also proposed an addi tional charge of Rs 5 (second class) and Rs 25 (first class) if a commuter changes corridors (for instance from CR to WR or vice versa).

“Short distance travellers, whose fares are anyway very little, will have to pay more as compared to longer distance travellers under the new system,“ said Sahai. Almost 9.2 lakh (31.5%) of Mumbai's 30 lakh season ticket holders will have a nominal impact, meaning a hike within 20% of the existing fare, and the balance 9 lakh (31%) will pay more than 20%. A monthly pass under the proposed plan will be Rs 450 as against Rs 485 between CST-Dadar and ChurchgateDadar (both one zone). For second class commuters, the monthly proposed fare for travel within one zone will be Rs 150. As of now, Churchgate-Dadar is Rs 130. With ratio nalization, the hike will be between Rs 20 and 50.

“MRVC proposal is a good one as it aims to delink the rail fare with the rest of India. If the Mumbai suburban is able to generate profit, it would be easier to get substantial amounts sanctioned from the board for the modernization works,“ said a senior railway official. Railway bosses have time and again raised concerns about the low fare as lack of investment due to losses is affecting the efficiency of the system.

Sahai said they also propose to allow long-distance passengers to buy suburban tickets at the time of booking tickets on the Passenger Reservation System (PRS). This ticket will be charged at Rs 10 and the long-distance passenger will be able to travel anywhere in Mumbai for single journey . This is expected to fetch Rs 140 crore every year.