ProUI

Call it the Indian Railways’ shame in Jharkhand’s breathtaking bungalow town.

McCluskieganj — situated on the idyllic Chotanagpur Plateau 65km from capital Ranchi — is a classic example of how sustained indifference can put thousands of human lives at risk for decades.Back in the Nineties, a footbridge was proposed at the busy junction, but only to rust without a single day’s use. The reason is bizarre. The railways, which installed iron pillars and frameworks for stairways, conveniently forgot to join them with a common elevated landing to offer passengers risk-free passage over the tracks.This is not the sole howler in civil planning at a station that sees at least 40 pairs of halting and galloping trains — carrying either passengers or goods — pass by every day.According to retired IAF officer R.K. Prasad, low-lying platforms are the biggest threat.“I believe there are a few standard safety guidelines in the railway rule book when it comes to raising platforms. Unfortunately, none is followed here. You can’t make out the difference between tracks and platforms, especially after sundown, as both are almost at the same level. There are also no security barricades on either end of the three platforms despite heavy train traffic on this route,” said Prasad.

The McCluskieganj junction under East Central Railway (ECR) connects trains from Dhanbad-Bokaro to Daltonganj-Garhwa, from where the route splits towards Mughalsarai, Delhi and Mumbai. There are 14 pairs of trains that stop at this old station. These include the Hatia-Chopan Express, Palamau Express and Jabalpur-Howrah Express. Among galloping ones are Rajdhani Express and the Garib Rath. Local railway officials pegged the daily off-season passenger footfall at 800-1,000.

A journalist working with a local daily said that they had raised the issues with senior railway officials during inspections more than once. “Nothing has happened so far,” he rued, adding that the ECR authorities cited poor revenue generation and funds crunch for delay in revamp of the junction.

“People live on either side of the station and crossing tracks is common in the absence of a footbridge. Though there is a road for villages from Khelari, but that is an almost 8km detour,” the scribe said, recalling an incident a few months ago when a schoolboy had a close shave.

Sandeep Rajdan, another resident, added: “We recently saw what happened at Dhamaraghat in Bihar last month. Will only a tragedy jolt the railway authorities out of their snooze mode. Let alone a footbridge, McCluskieganj station does not have basic amenities such as drinking water. An elderly or an ailing person could collapse and die of thirst in peak summer.”

Dhanbad divisional railway manager (DRM) Sudhir Kumar did not take calls despite repeated attempts.

Additional DRM H.K. Raghu feigned ignorance. “I have to see files and that it will take some time. File an RTI to get answers,” he said briefly.

Do you think the footbridge will ever come up?

New Delhi: “Gyanodaya Express”, an educational train of Delhi University, was today flagged off by the Minister of State for Railways, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dinesh Singh.In partnership with the Railways and the IRCTC, the train, the third one in line, is carrying almost 900 students and accompanying faculty and staff and will journey through Haryana and Punjab and return to Delhi on September 8. Among the passengers are 150 students and teachers from the UK who are here in Delhi to participate in this educational journey.

PUNE: The many safety warnings notwithstanding, people continue to cross railway tracks. As many as 3,159 cases of trespassing on tacks have been registered in Pune division in the last seven months, and 300 lives lost so far this year. The most recent death was incidentally that of a railway official, deputy station superintendent Ramkesh Meena, who was run over by a passenger train while crossing the track at Dehu Road station on Sunday afternoon.Railway officials attribute illegal track crossing as one of the leading causes of these deaths. They said about 451 cases of illegal track crossing have been registered each month this year, most of which were booked at major stations, including Pune, Shivajinagar, Chinchwad, Pimpri and Hadapsar.

Last year, the railway administration had recorded 3,671 cases of illegal crossing of tracks in the first seven months. Though the numbers have reduced to some extent, officials here said that many people still choose to take short cuts instead of using foot over bridges (FOBs).The administration said trespassing incidents are high at all stations between Pune and Lonavla, the busiest section in the division. All stations on this stretch have FOBs, but commuters avoid using them. At some places, unidentified persons have even breached walls in order to cross the tracks.

"The administration collected a fine of Rs 4.05 lakh in the cases booked so far this year. About 35 offenders who failed to pay the fine were sent to jail. A person can be fined Rs 1,000 and imprisoned for a maximum period of six months if they are caught crossing tracks illegally. People should use FOBs or manned crossing-gates to avoid accidents on tracks," a railway official said.

The division has identified some 'vulnerable' spots on the Pune-Lonavla, Pune-Daund and Kolhapur sections. Engine drivers have been instructed to honk at these spots and display boards have been put up at sensitive points, telling people to refrain from trespassing.

The division has also initiated steps to phase out unmanned level crossings. Five gates have been closed so far this year and all level crossing gates along the Pune-Lonavla and Pune-Daund routes are manned.

However, railway authorities said that people put their lives at risk at level crossings even when gates are closed for a train to pass.

जयपुर के लिए चलेगी स्पेशल ट्रेन

KANPUR कानपुर। रेल प्रशासन ने यजयपुर से लखनऊ के बीच वाया कन्नौज, फर्रुखाबाद रूट से 8 सितंबर से 9 अक्तूबर तक एक महीने के लिए स्पेशल ट्रेन चलाने का फैसला किया है।
एनसीआर के पीआरओ अमित मालवीय ने बताया कि 09707 अप स्पेशल ट्रेन जयपुर से मंगलवार, शुक्रवार और रविवार को रात 9:45 बजे चलकर कानपुर सेंट्रल पर दूसरे दिन सुबह 8:55 बजे आकर लखनऊ 10:20 बजे पहुंचाएगी। 09708 डाउन लखनऊ से बुधवार, शनिवार और सोमवार को दोपहर 12:25 कानपुर सेंट्रल पर दोपहर 14:05 बजे पहुंचकर दो मिनट बाद जयपुर को चल देगी। ट्रेन अनवरगंज, कन्नौज, फर्रुखाबाद, हाथरस सिटी, मथुरा कैंट, जंक्शन, अछनेरा, भरतपुर, बांदीकुईं, गांधीनगर रुकते हुए रात पौने दो बजे जयपुर पहुंचेगी।

Eastern Railway posted a 12 per cent growth in passenger earnings to nearly Rs 636 crore between April and July this year, as against a little more than Rs 567 crore during the year-ago period.

According to a release, ER’s miscellaneous earnings (particularly penalties collected from passengers) were nearly 7 per cent higher at Rs 14.33 crore during the period.

प्रतापगढ़। आरक्षण काउंटर पर बिजली न होने के कारण कंप्यूटर बंद हो गए। सुबह से लाइन में टिकट के लिए खड़े यात्रियों ने इस पर हंगामा मचाना शुरू कर दिया। खासतौर से तत्काल टिकटों के लिए लाइन में लगे तो ज्यादा परेशान दिखे। हालांकि एक घंटे बाद छोटा जनरेटर चलाकर सप्लाई चालू की गई तो यात्री शांत हुए।
सुबह साढ़े सात बजे आरक्षण काउंटर खुला तो सप्लाई नहीं आ रही थी। लिपिकों ने यूपीएस के माध्यम से कंप्यूटर चलाकर चार्ट निकाला। इसके थोड़ी ही देर बाद कंप्यूटर बंद हो गए। टिकट बनना न शुरू होने पर यात्रियों ने जानकारी चाही तो पता लगा बिजली नहीं है। इस पर तत्काल के लिए सुबह से लाइन में लगे यात्रियों ने हंगामा शुरू कर दिया। यात्रियों का कहना था कि काउंटर पर आए दिन इस तरह की समस्या आती रहती है। कभी लिंक फेल होता है तो कभी बिजली नहीं रहती है। यात्री घंटों होहल्ला मचाते रहे। इस पर आरपीएफ को सूचना दी गई। मौके पर सिपाही पहुंचे लेकिन उनका भी कोई असर नहीं पड़ा। नौ बजे रेलवे विद्युत विभाग ने छोटा जनरेटर लाकर आरक्षण और साधारण टिकट काउंटर को सप्लाई दी तो कंप्यूटर चालू हुए। टिकट बनना शुरू हुआ तो यात्री भी शांत हो गए।

जयपुर के लिए चलेगी स्पेशल ट्रेन

KANPUR कानपुर। रेल प्रशासन ने यजयपुर से लखनऊ के बीच वाया कन्नौज, फर्रुखाबाद रूट से 8 सितंबर से 9 अक्तूबर तक एक महीने के लिए स्पेशल ट्रेन चलाने का फैसला किया है।
एनसीआर के पीआरओ अमित मालवीय ने बताया कि 09707 अप स्पेशल ट्रेन जयपुर से मंगलवार, शुक्रवार और रविवार को रात 9:45 बजे चलकर कानपुर सेंट्रल पर दूसरे दिन सुबह 8:55 बजे आकर लखनऊ 10:20 बजे पहुंचाएगी। 09708 डाउन लखनऊ से बुधवार, शनिवार और सोमवार को दोपहर 12:25 कानपुर सेंट्रल पर दोपहर 14:05 बजे पहुंचकर दो मिनट बाद जयपुर को चल देगी। ट्रेन अनवरगंज, कन्नौज, फर्रुखाबाद, हाथरस सिटी, मथुरा कैंट, जंक्शन, अछनेरा, भरतपुर, बांदीकुईं, गांधीनगर रुकते हुए रात पौने दो बजे जयपुर पहुंचेगी।

Rail Officers surrounded at Mandhana

NEW DELHI: Two Chinese companies are among six bidders in the race for setting up a modern electric locomotive factory at Medhepura in Bihar.CNR Corporation and CSR Corporation, both from China, have submitted qualifying bids for the proposed Rs 1300 crore factory, said a senior Railway Ministry official.Other four multinationals who have submitted the RFQ (request for quotation) proposals include GE Global, Bombardier, Siemens and AlstomBSE -1.59 %.Today was the last date for submission of RFQ application. These are qualifying proposals and Railways has to shortlist the bidders and then invite financial bids for the state-of-the-art factory.The proposals for the factory and also a diesel locomotive factory at Marhora in Bihar were announced during the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in 2008.Both factories are to be set up in PPP model and there are many changes in the bidding documents over the clauses of transfer of technology and maintenance since the announcement.In order to give a boost to the infrastructure sector, setting up of these two factories on PPP mode is crucial for the current economy scenario and PMO is also monitoring these projects.Bidding documents were earlier discharged on November 2011 and Railways called for fresh proposals for the two factories.Finally the qualifying applications were opened today after many extension of final date, said the official.

However, the applications for the diesel locomotive factory at Marhora will be opened on September 22. The Marhora factory would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,025 crore.

At present, Railways has two locomotive factories in Varanasi (diesel) and Chittaranjan (electric).

NEW DELHI: Two Chinese companies are among six bidders in the race for setting up a modern electric locomotive factory at Medhepura in Bihar.CNR Corporation and CSR Corporation, both from China, have submitted qualifying bids for the proposed Rs 1300 crore factory, said a senior Railway Ministry official.Other four multinationals who have submitted the RFQ (request for quotation) proposals include GE Global, Bombardier, Siemens and AlstomBSE -1.59 %.Today was the last date for submission of RFQ application. These are qualifying proposals and Railways has to shortlist the bidders and then invite financial bids for the state-of-the-art factory.The proposals for the factory and also a diesel locomotive factory at Marhora in Bihar were announced during the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in 2008.Both factories are to be set up in PPP model and there are many changes in the bidding documents over the clauses of transfer of technology and maintenance since the announcement.In order to give a boost to the infrastructure sector, setting up of these two factories on PPP mode is crucial for the current economy scenario and PMO is also monitoring these projects.Bidding documents were earlier discharged on November 2011 and Railways called for fresh proposals for the two factories.Finally the qualifying applications were opened today after many extension of final date, said the official.

However, the applications for the diesel locomotive factory at Marhora will be opened on September 22. The Marhora factory would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,025 crore.

At present, Railways has two locomotive factories in Varanasi (diesel) and Chittaranjan (electric).