WRPRO

WRPRO stands for Western Railway Public Relations Office. The office is on the third floor on the building above Churchgate station in Mumbai. It’s a misnomer. Actually a more realistic name would be Worst Run Public Relations Office.

Let me tell you why I say this. The anniversary of the bomb blasts was in the second week of July. So we had to do a lot of stories for that. To get these stories we needed the help of the PR.

Tried all the numbers but no one was picking up the phone. So went there on Thursday 5^th July, 2007. No one had the time to even look at you. Leave alone give you information of any use. The problem was MR was coming on Saturday 7^th July.

And no ordinary MR at that he was a crowd puller they said. For the ignoramus MR stands for Minister of Railways.

Laloo was coming to inaugurate the four lines between Virar and Borivali. So PRO Motha told us ‘We are busy with the visit of our MR on Saturday, you come and meet me at 11 am on Monday and we will give you everything you desire’.

Monday was the 9^th and the anniversary on 11^th. But beggars cannot be choosers. The next day I had to do a story on security. In this regard I met Lalit Kumar who is the Chief

Security Commisioner of Western Railway.

He gave us a good insight but added that if we needed specific precautions taken in Mumbai we should meet his efficient commandant Devendranath B. Kasar- who was in charge of Mumbai alone. He sits in his office outside Bombay Central station. He is Senior Divisional Security Commissioner.

He was very polite. We had to wait in his office. He had gone to meet the Divisional Regional Manager. He came back in half an hour. We were let into his office by a very rude peon. He made us sit down and gave us water.

We were not allowed to click his picture or click a picture of a board in his office. ‘About security whatever I wanted to tell you, I have already put it down in writing and given it to the PRO Pranai Prabhakar who sits in Churchgate. You please go and meet him. He is a very nice man’.

We told him that the PRO was busy with his MR. He told us that he would speak to him. Calling the PRO on his mobile did not work, he did not take the call. We wondered that if he did not take a call from the Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, what chance did we poor reporters have.

All our pleading fell on deaf ears but we were allowed to photograph the board after much argument. We went back to the PROs office and were shooed away till Monday.

Monday dawned bright. At 11 am we reached the PRO’s office. Motha was not there. We are asked to speak to Senior PRO Bhagat. He said that the DRM Western Railway was the best person to speak on Emergency measures. He gave us a lot of information.

Next I needed statistics about how many people die due to accidents on Western Railway. Pranai Prabhakar’s secretary Shiby Nair was totally helpless. ‘Sir is not here, don’t know when he will come. You need an appointment to see him’ was her reply to every query.

Anyway the worthy PRO Motha put in an appearance. Pranai by the way is the Chief PRO. Motha said ‘Everyday ten people die in both Western Railway and Central Railway in Mumbai’. He said that they he did not know the figure separately for Western Railway alone.

I told him that I could not write and article with that one quote and I needed figures for the last ten years. He said that I should go back to our office and send him a fax. I told him that it was very funny. I was standing in front of him. Why should I go back to the office to send him a fax.

He was upset. ‘Why are you so aggressive. That is the system we follow here. We cannot give you information unless you give it in writing’. I told him that I would give him a letter immediately. He was not ready to accept any letter from me, said ‘You address it to our CPRO i.e Chief’.

I wrote the letter and gave it to the CPROs secretary. On Tuesday morning I went there again. I was told to speak to Ajay Solanki, Chief Public Relations Inspector. I met him. He said he had the data for 5 years not 10.  Something is better than nothing. But he refused to tell us unless his boss cleared it.

So we waited for the boss. No sign of him. He was with the GM. So I had to call him. He said he was very busy with the anniversary functions but he would ask Solanki to give the information I wanted.

I called Solanki three hours later and also the next day. He said his boss had not told him anything. He refused to talk to me. The anniversary came and went and still no statistics. Solanki has since stopped taking my calls.

Then we wanted to speak to a train driver. Called up the DEE (Operations). He said ‘I sit in Bombay Central. The train drivers come to Churchgate. You meet the head of the motormen there Mr. Meena.

Went and met Shri Meena. He said he needed a letter from the PRO saying that the motorman may talk to us. So we went back to the PRO. Motha was not there. Pranai was not there. Bhagat was not there. But there was a very helpful PRO there. Insisted that we do not write his name or take his picture.

He told us to speak to Smita who was sitting outside his cabin and cutting news pages. She drafted a letter and said we had to wait for it to be typed. The typist was on leave. So she requested CPROs secretary to type it for us. She did type and gave it.

PRO said that this was ordinary paper and he wanted it on the PRO letter pad. So a print out was taken on the letter head. We finally got it and rushed to Mr. Meena.

Meena told us to come back in an hour. After an hour we waited for another 30 minutes. We finally did meet our train driver. Thanks to that nice man who doesn’t want to be named.

The PRO is the interface between the press and the Railways. If they don’t co operate what can we do but give them titles such as Worst Run Public Relations Office. Don’t think they care after all they are Government servants whose unique selling point is job security without labour.

The PR department on the third floor of Churchgate station occupies almost 2000 square feet. A sheer waste of space and man power.