ProUI

A Metro Rail team came across a storm water drain from the Nizam era, at a depth of 10-feet, while laying the foundation for piers

Metro Rail construction teams are by now used to hitting huge hard rocks, utility pipelines and cables while laying foundations for piers and pillars.However, they were in for a surprise few days ago when while digging on the Public Gardens – Telugu University line and the M.J. Market stretch, they encountered a decades-old Nizam era storm water drain. The drain, which was 10-feet deep, was not detected during the soil testing phase and came to the fore only when the excavation was taken deep for laying the foundation of the Metro Rail piers.The storm water drain was functional and water was gushing through it at considerable velocity towards Chaderghat and Musi River. Officials, however, admitted that it was difficult to ascertain the origin of the drain.“It’s a beautiful construction. Generally, we do not expect any pipeline at such depths. No one knew about it,” said Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director N.V.S. Reddy.He pointed out that neither the GHMC nor the Water Board (HMWSSB) had any maps or drawings to show the existence of such a drain. The water might be flowing in from near the tracks adjacent to the Nampally railway station, which gets flooded during heavy rain, Mr. Reddy reckons.

The drain was also built in such a manner that the water flow was contained within the series of curves and could have been connected to underground storm drains with links to Lakdikapul and Masab Tank, officials said.

The challenge for the engineers of HMR and the concessionaire L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) would be to now build piers foundations in such a manner that they either circumvent the storm water drains altogether, by building an parallel pipeline of three metre-diameter or more.

It was in 2007 that commuters bid farewell to the last train on the Metre Gauge (MG) from Tambaram. Since then, passengers have been waiting for the conversion of the MG lines to Broad Gauge (BG), a project that is yet to see the light of day.The termination of the MG services had given passengers hopes of an increase in services after gauge conversion, but they were in for a big disappointment as the actual conversion did not begin until 2009. Today, the old lines have been removed, new concrete sleepers placed and BG tracks laid but electrification has not been taken up. The platforms 3 and 4, from where the MG lines used to be operated, lie in total disarray.Sources in the Southern Railway said the delay in sanctioning of funds, a contractor abandoning a portion of the work midway and “government procedural red-tape” had delayed the project that ought to have been completed at least a year ago.Currently, trains from Tambaram to the Beach station leave from platforms 1 and 2. If the work on platforms 3 and 4 were to be completed, it would ease congestion at Tambaram railway station and also prevent the need for trains from Chennai Beach to halt at signal points for a long time, waiting for platforms 1 and 2 to be free.An official said the electrification of the lines was the only major pending task apart from track alignment and related engineering work and would be completed in three months. “The work is long overdue. Commuters waste a lot of time when trains halt outside the station, thereby missing connecting services to Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tirumalpur in the process,” said R.A. Mukunthan, of Perungalathur – Paranur Rail Commuters Association.

Kerala MPs recently met Railway Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge and demanded that a railway zone be created for Kerala with Mangalore as divisional headquarters.Kerala has two railway divisions — Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram — both part of Southern Railway. The MPs want the formation of a zone for the west coast with Mangalore as a new divisional headquarters because any new zone should have a minimum of three divisions.

‘Running time of trains will be reduced’

Railways will need to install automatic signalling system on all the double line and single line sections of its network to optimise the use of track for the proposed suburban service and run more mail and express trains in the State.The new system would reduce the operational time of signalling systems at railway stations by eliminating manual operation, a top railway official said. This in turn would reduce the running time of trains.

Rs. 60 lakh
The signalling systems of all stations would work by remote control. The cost of installing this technology was estimated at Rs.60 lakh for a kilometre of double line section.To lay a kilometre of track, the investment was estimated at Rs.5-6 crore as per current estimates.The works on automatic signalling could be executed in two to three years or earlier depending on local conditions, the official said.On implementation, line capacity would get enhanced to over five trains an hour each way.In the railway network, a line is divided into block sections between railway stations situated 15 to 20 km apart.Instead of conventional absolute block system, which permits only one train at a time in the block section of 15-20 km, the automatic signalling splits the block section into sub-sections of 1 to 2 km.Signals are automatically operated once the train occupies the track.Once that block sub-section is clear, the next train is automatically given the signal to enter the sub-section.Railway officials in the operations and traffic wing said line capacity would be optimally used and a safe distance between trains would be maintained.Compared to the cost for creating a third dedicated corridor for operating Mainline Electric Multiple Units (MEMU) or suburban trains in the State where land cost is higher and acquisition difficult, the official said automatic signalling was cheaper though the capital cost was on the higher side.“Automatic signalling will become inevitable in future if new trains are to be introduced,” Assistant Divisional Secretary, Southern Railway Employees Sangh, Thomas Moraes said.

Manifold benefits

The system had been in vogue in the metropolitan cities for the past few decades. It would have multiple benefits in the State — more long-distance trains, reduction in travel time, operating suburban and MEMU trains at three-minute intervals, fuel conservation as more vehicles can be taken off the roads, and cheap and hassle-free travel, he said.Mr. Moraes said the icing on the cake was that automatic signalling could be achieved without fresh land acquisition and implemented within two to three years.

‘It is vital for suburban service, for running new trains’

‘Works can be completed in two to three years’

Ludhiana : An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), a woman constable and an unidentified woman have been booked for kidnapping a three-year-old girl and wrongly confining a woman and her elder granddaughter at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) office. The child was kidnapped on January 19 this year.The registration of case against ASI Manohar Singh and constable Surjit Kaur has again brought to the fore how kidnappers are thriving at the railway station under the patronage of the police and kidnapping children by posing as child right activists.The FIR, a copy of which is with The Tribune, was registered today after victim Urmila (grandmother) (50), a resident of Ambedkar Colony in Khanna, with the help of social activist Sameer Kumar, brought the matter to the notice of the higher authorities. Urmila is a juggler and performs acts in the moving train to eke out a living. She said that the incident took place on January 19, when she was returning home from Mullapur. Urmila stated to the police that when the train reached Baddowal, a woman grabbed her by the arm. "The woman said that she was a child-right activist and rescued children who were forcefully made to work. I told her that both the girls were my granddaughters and she was not indulging in child labour," stated Urmila in her complaint.

She further added that the woman took her to the Railway Protection Force office where ASI Manohar Singh and Constable Surjit Kaur confined her and her elder granddaughter for nearly half-an-hour, while the woman took away her three- year-old granddaughter.

She added that after half-an-hour she and her elder granddaughter were released. When she asked the police about the whereabouts of her younger granddaughter, the police officials, including Manohar Singh and Constable Surjit Kaur, told her that the woman had taken her granddaughter to an orphanage.

She said that it had been eight month since the incident took place, but there was no clue of her granddaughter.

The two police officials were booked under Sections 363 of the IPC for kidnapping and 342 of the IPC for wrongfully confining a person.

GRANDMOTHER IS A JUGGLER BY PROFESSION

The FIR, a copy of which is with The Tribune, was registered on Sunday after victim Urmila (grandmother) (50), a resident of Ambedkar Colony in Khanna, with the help of social activist Sameer Kumar, brought the matter to the notice of the higher authorities. Urmila is a juggler and performs acts in the moving train to eke out a living. She said that the incident took place on January 19, when she was returning home from Mullapur.

Protest is mounting among the residents of Mahe against the high-speed rail corridor proposed by Kerala that apparently will pass through the Union Territory.The Anti High-Speed Rail Corridor committee carried out protests recently against the project which they said would in no way benefit their region and would prove adverse to the territory which had very high population density.Speaking to The Hindu , Mahe MLA E. Valsaraj said the move to encroach upon the Union Territory for the rail project would be opposed at any cost.“The move may not be deliberate, and the region may have got included while mapping the area for the rail route through satellite. However, since around nine square kilometre of land in the territory with nearly 43,000 residents have been included, the project is bound to affect the development and socio economic activities of the region. Moreover, it carries no benefit to Mahe. The protest may seem premature, but none should take our silence to be consent for the project,” he said.“Mahe cannot even afford to give land for the elevated paths as envisaged in the project, as it required building pillars with a width of 15-20 metres. Moreover, it is an inter-State issue. Also, as per the sketch put up by the Kerala High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, it is not a straight path and follows a zigzag route. That shows that an alternative route excluding Mahe can be considered,” Mr. Valsaraj said.

The administration and members of the action committee have decided to meet the Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy to apprise him of the issue.

The Union Territory has a very high population density

Project will not benefit Mahe anyway, says MLA

बिहार के मधेपुरा जिले में इलेक्ट्रिक लोको फैक्ट्री स्थापित करने के लिए रेल मंत्रालय द्वारा वित्तीय बोली में चुनी गई छह कंपनियों में से दो चीन की हैं। इसके अलावा दो अमेरिकी मूल व दो जर्मन मूल की भारतीय कंपनियां शामिल हैं। सोमवार को रिक्वेस्ट फॉर क्वालिफिकेशन [आरएफक्यू] बोली की आखिरी तारीख थी।
चीन की दो कंपनियों में सीएनआर कॉरपोरेशन व सीएसआर कॉरपोरेशन के नाम शामिल हैं। जबकि अमेरिकी मूल की दो भारतीय कंपनियों- जीई ग्लोबल सोर्सिग इंडिया व बंबार्डियर इंडिया है। इसके अलावा जर्मन मूल की दो भारतीय कंपनियों- एल्स्टाम इंडिया व सिमेंस लिमिटेड को भी तकनीकी तौर पर पात्र पाया गया। अब इन कंपनियों को वित्तीय बोली लगाने का मौका मिलेगा। सबसे कम बोली लगाने वाली कंपनी को मधेपुरा में इलेक्ट्रिक रेल इंजन फैक्ट्री लगाने का अवसर दिया जाएगा। इसके अलावा मढ़ौरा में डीजल लोको फैक्ट्री भी लगाई जाएगी, जिसकी घोषणा 2008 में तत्कालीन रेलमंत्री लालू प्रसाद यादव ने की थी।
मधेपुरा में 1293 करोड़ रुपये की लागत से प्रत्येक लोको में 12 हजार हॉर्सपावर की क्षमता वाले 800 लोको हर साल बनाने का कारखाना लगाया जाना है। इसके अलावा मढ़ौरा फैक्ट्री पर 2025 करोड़ की लागत आने का अनुमान है। इसमें हर साल 4500 हॉर्सपावर व 6000 हॉर्सपावर वाले 1000 डीजल रेल इंजन बनाने का लक्ष्य है। गौरतलब है कि रेलवे के पास फिलहाल दो लोको फैक्ट्रियां हैं। वाराणसी में डीजल लोकोमोटिव व‌र्क्स [डीएलडब्ल्यू] व चितरंजन में इलेक्ट्रिक लोकोमोटिव व‌र्क्स [सीएलडब्ल्यू]।

BANGALORE: The Karnataka government is drawing up a Rs 2,100 crore project with loan assistance from Asian Development Bank, to develop and upgrade eight city clusters around Bangalore to woo investment and ease the load on the State capital.The city clusters proposed to be developed are Nelamangala, Magadi, Anekal, Bidadi, Dabaspet, Harohalli, Devanahalli and Hoskote, Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake told reporters here.Officials said the objective is to attract investment in those clusters by developing and upgrading them and "dispersing Bangalore investment" into these areas.Meanwhile, they said detailed project report on Phase-I of the Rs 8,759-crore suburban rail system for Bangalore comprising five corridors, including from the city to Tumkur, Ramanagara and Bangarpet, would be completed "very soon".Officials said a Special Purpose Vehicle -- Bangalore Suburban Rail Corporation -- would be set up for implementing the project which is expected to ease congestion in the city.

Sorake said a Cabinet note has been prepared to upgrade city municipal councils of Tumkur, Shimoga and Bijapura to city corporations.

The Minister said during the transition phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), 61 projects with estimated cost of Rs 5,265.22 crore have been forwarded for approval to the Union Ministry of Urban Development, adding, Rs 168 crore of them had already been approved.

"Seventeen water supply projects with estimated cost of Rs 711.92 crore have been submitted to the Central government under UIDSSMT (Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns)", Sorake said.

He said a Rs 1,760 crore project has been prepared to provide 24X7 water supply to the entire corporation area of Belgaum, Gulbarga and Hubli-Dharwad cities on PPP basis with World Bank assistance.

Sorake also said a project is under preparation for state-level heritage-based urban development programme for Karnataka with World Bank assistance.

He said a master plan would be prepared in phases to project requirements of cities of Karnataka in the year 2040.

Workshops would be conducted for corporators of at the city and state-levels, Sorake said, adding, ward committees and citizen foras would be set up to create awareness among the people on funding in their areas and to monitor quality of works undertaken there.

The rail board has proposed Rs. 3,280 crore strategic rail line plan to built 181 km broad gauge electric traction rail line on Pathankot-Baijnath-Jogindernagar which is to be extended to Ladakh later. This was disclosed by the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while replying to a query of Yadvinder Goma member of Congress from Jaysingpur of Kangra district. He said that board also proposed Rs. 2,888 crore on the same line on diesel traction. The union government was insisting upon the state to bear 33 percent of above proposed budget, however, state had offered free land for this railway project. Keeping the limited economic resources of the state and national importance of this railway project in mind, Himachal has been taken up this matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh twice in January and February 2013 as state had asked the center to bear the entire expense. Mr. Singh denied that state had no plant to link Jogindernagar-Mandi and Bilaspur with railway line.

Kerala MPs recently met Railway Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge and demanded that a railway zone be created for Kerala with Mangalore as divisional headquarters.Kerala has two railway divisions — Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram — both part of Southern Railway. The MPs want the formation of a zone for the west coast with Mangalore as a new divisional headquarters because any new zone should have a minimum of three divisions.