Bengaluru: Countdown clock at railway station to remind staff about deadlines

BENGALURU: In a move that could speed up work, Bengaluru division of South Western Railway (SWR) is setting up digital countdown clocks to remind staff to meet deadlines.
At KSR Bengaluru City railway station, SWR recently installed a countdown clock at the foot overbridge connecting platforms 1 and 10 to monitor installation of new escalators. The clock displays the number of days, hours and seconds remaining for the deadline (3pm, November 10, 2019) for the escalator work at platform no.4 to be over.

Ashok Kumar Verma, divisional railway manager of Bengaluru, said they are setting up six escalators, including five in KSR City and one in Yeshwantpur. “The clock ticks till the work is complete. It’s important to meet deadlines to save taxpayers’ money and avoid inconvenience to users.”

Verma, who initiated the clock, said: “Normally, it takes seven or eight months for installation of escalators, but sometimes the work is delayed due to the involvement of multiple departments.” He added: “Now, when workers see the clock, they will be motivated to complete the task. In fact, there’s been some progress after installation of the clock. Staffers from different departments are working hard to meet the deadline.”
“We are planning to replicate this concept for other work as well. Some tasks are required to be completed in 2-5 hours so that train operations can be resumed,” said Verma.
It may be recalled that Metro man E Sreedharan had introduced a similar digital countdown clock during his tenure with Delhi Metro and Konkan railways. The clocks were set up in all official cabins and at the main entrance to help complete projects on time.