ProUI

Patna: East Central Railway on Friday said the Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge will be completed by March 2015. Chief public relations officer, East Central Railway, Amitabh Prabhakar said of 36 spans, 21 have been completed and works on 22nd and 23rd spans was in progress. Prabhakar said the East Central Railway was working hardto complete the work in the stipulated time frame.

ALLAHABAD: A review meeting regarding the various ongoing projects of the North Central Railway was organised at NCR headquarters in Subedarganj on Friday.

Addressing the meeting, general manager of NCR Alok Johri observed that the progress of the ongoing projects compared to last year is better but there is need for accelerating the pace to complete the projects within the stipulated time frame work.

He laid stress on acceleration in implementing the ongoing work of automatic signalling of Allahabad-Mughalsarai and Aligarh-Ghaziabad sections. He also advised for preparing the plan for decongestion of station yard of Allahabad and Agra. Further, there is need for improvement in works relating to the stations of Subedarganj, Cheoki, Eidgah and Agra Fort stations, he said.

He also observed that works related to safety at the level crossings should be conducted on a priority basis and work on construction of 25 ROBs (Railway Overbridges) and 75 limited height subways should also be completed in this financial year.

He said, "The officers should undertake steps for the safety and security of the staff deputed at the work field. Better co-ordination between the different departments is also needed."

Participating in the meeting, principal chief engineer Satish Kumar instructed for preparation of the engineering scale plan for the projects of the next year.

Before start of the meeting, principal chief engineer Satish Kumar welcomed the general manager Alok Johri. During the meeting, works relating to construction department, IRPMU and open line were also discussed. During the meeting, all heads of departments, divisional railway managers of Allahabad, Agra and Jhansi divisions were present.

New Delhi: Minister of State for Railways Shri Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today had mentioned that there will be a systematic elimination of all Unmanned Level Crossings on Indian Railways in a phased manner shortly.  While replying, he also elaborated that it has emerged from the analysis of pattern of accidents that manning of unmanned level crossings is not an ideal solution.  Therefore, the policy of manning of unmanned level crossings has been reviewed and Ministry of Railways has decided to progressively eliminate all unmanned level crossings by:

(i)    Closure – Closing unmanned level crossings having NIL/negligible Train Vehicle Unit (TVU).

(ii)   Merger – Merger of unmanned level crossing gate to nearby manned or unmanned gates or subway or Road Under Bridge (RUB) or Road Over Bridge (ROB) by construction of diversion road.

(iii)  Provision of Subways/RUBs.

(iv)  Manning – The unmanned level crossings which cannot be eliminated by above means, will be progressively manned based on rail-road traffic volume, visibility conditions.  Elimination of all these level crossings is a gigantic task and involves lot of manpower, resources and budgetary support.  It is a continuous process and is done as per need, inter-se-priority of works, availability of funds and co-operation of State Government, particularly, in getting consent of closure of level crossing and undertaking to maintain road and drainage in future for subways.

New Delhi: Ministry of Railways shall monitor the timely completion of big sector infrastructure projects costing Rs.150 crore and above by various means, including rigorous project appraisal and online computerised monitoring system for better monitoring and by setting-up of Parliamentary Standing Committees for fixation of responsibility for time and cost overruns in association with Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Railways and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shall actively and jointly spearhead the appraisal and review on the basis of information supplied by the project implementing agencies. Besides, monitoring is done by regular review of the infrastructure projects, setting up of Cabinet Committee of Investment to review and monitor the implementation of major projects shall also be taken up on priority.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shall also monitor projects related to atomic energy, petroleum, power, road transport and highways, shipping and ports in association with respective ministries.

Kolkata:  A team from the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation on Friday entered Salt Lake’s Duttabad slum for the first time in four years to start a hutment-relocation survey crucial to breaking the East-West Metro logjam along that 365-metre stretch.

The survey had been attempted several times since 2009, on each occasion to a hostile reaction from the families that live there. Friday saw a team of engineers from the rail corporation and the urban development department do their job uninterrupted under police watch from 1.30 till 6pm.

“With the state government providing support, we will be able to complete the first phase (of construction) in about three years’ time,” H.K. Sharma, managing director of the KMRC, said.

The stand-off has prevented the KMRC from building seven piers for the proposed elevated corridor between City Centre Salt Lake and Bengal Chemicals.

“The survey will resume on Saturday and if it can’t be completed by the end of the day, we will extend it to Monday,” an official of the urban development department said.

The team took photographs of the owners and tenants living in the huts that would have to make way for the Metro piers.

The plan is to build temporary houses for the displaced families on a nearby plot provided by the urban development department. The families would later be allotted a 264sq ft flat each.

“It will take us three months to build the temporary structures and a year to get the flats ready,” managing director Sharma said.

Bijoy Sarkar, a resident of Duttabad for 40 years, blamed confusion over the rehabilitation of those who would be displaced for the four-year impasse. “We are not against the Metro project, we are worried about our future. Trinamul leaders had been telling us for the past few years that we won’t be rehabilitated.”

Neighbour Sanatan Chakraborty said he wouldn’t hesitate to relocate if offered a proper alternative. “The area gets waterlogged after heavy rain. It becomes a very dirty and unhygienic place to live in. If I get a good flat in a proper location, why won’t I shift?”

The KMRC had first planned 13 piers on that stretch but modified the design so that the elevated corridor could rest on seven piers, affecting fewer settlers.

The distance between a pair of piers has been increased from 25 to 90 metres.

New Delhi: Minister of State for Railways Shri Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today had mentioned that there will be a systematic elimination of all Unmanned Level Crossings on Indian Railways in a phased manner shortly.  While replying, he also elaborated that it has emerged from the analysis of pattern of accidents that manning of unmanned level crossings is not an ideal solution.  Therefore, the policy of manning of unmanned level crossings has been reviewed and Ministry of Railways has decided to progressively eliminate all unmanned level crossings by:

(i)    Closure – Closing unmanned level crossings having NIL/negligible Train Vehicle Unit (TVU).

(ii)   Merger – Merger of unmanned level crossing gate to nearby manned or unmanned gates or subway or Road Under Bridge (RUB) or Road Over Bridge (ROB) by construction of diversion road.

(iii)  Provision of Subways/RUBs.

(iv)  Manning – The unmanned level crossings which cannot be eliminated by above means, will be progressively manned based on rail-road traffic volume, visibility conditions.  Elimination of all these level crossings is a gigantic task and involves lot of manpower, resources and budgetary support.  It is a continuous process and is done as per need, inter-se-priority of works, availability of funds and co-operation of State Government, particularly, in getting consent of closure of level crossing and undertaking to maintain road and drainage in future for subways.

बीड : केंद्रीय रेल्वे अर्थ संकल्पात मंजूर असलेली मुंबई- लातूर-परळी-नांदेड रेल्वे सेवा त्वरित चालू करावी, या मागणीसाठी भाजपाचे लोकसभेतील उपनेते खा. गोपीनाथ मुंडे यांच्या नेत्तृत्वाखाली सर्वपक्षीय शिष्टमंडळाने शुक्रवारी दिल्ली येथे केंद्रीय रेल्वेमंत्री मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे यांची भेट घेतली. रेल्वेमंत्र्यांनी या मागणीला सकारात्मक प्रतिसाद दिला.
मुंबई-लातूर एक्सप्रेस परळीमार्गे नांदेडपर्यंत सुरू करण्याबाबत यंदाच्या रेल्वे अर्थसंकल्पात मंजुरी देण्यात आली होती. ही रेल्वे सेवा तातडीने सुरू करण्यात यावी, या मागणीसाठी परळी रेल्वे संघर्ष समितीने १५ ऑगस्ट रोजी आंदोलन करण्याचा इशारा दिला होता. संघर्ष समितीच्या सर्वपक्षीय शिष्टमंडळाने गेल्या आठवड्यात आ. पंकजा मुंडे यांची भेट घेतली होती. केंद्रीय रेल्वेमंत्री मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे यांनी सकारात्मक प्रतिसाद दिला असल्याचे खा. मुंडे यांनी प्रसिध्दी पत्रकात म्हटले आहे.

15097 अप भागलपुर-जम्मूतवी अमरनाथ एक्सप्रेस गुरुवार की रात 8.30 बजे भागलपुर के प्लेटफॉर्म नंबर एक से जम्मू के लिए रवाना हुई। पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री व भागलपुर के सांसद सैयद शाहनवाज हुसैन और बिहार के पूर्व स्वास्थ्य मंत्री व सदर विधायक अश्रि्वनी कुमार चौबे ने ट्रेन को हरी झंडी दिखाई। इस दौरान विधान पार्षद मनोज यादव व मालदा रेल मंडल के डीआरएम रवींद्र गुप्ता भी मौजूद थे। उद्घाटन समारोह के कारण गुरुवार को ट्रेन अपने निर्धारित समय से तीन घंटा 20 मिनट पहले रवाना हुई। 29 अगस्त से अमरनाथ एक्सप्रेस प्रत्येक गुरुवार को अपने तय समय रात 11.50 बजे भागलपुर से चलेगी।शाहनवाज ने कहा, जम्मू से भागलपुर को जोड़ने का काम पूरा हो गया है। जम्मू स्टेशन में भागलपुर का नाम भी दर्ज हो गया है। 24 कोच की इस ट्रेन के चलने से भागलपुर के लोग सीधे वैष्णो देवी के दर्शन को जा सकेंगे। इसके पहले यहां के लोगों को वाया दिल्ली वैष्णो देवी के दर्शन के जाना पड़ता था। उन्होंने कहा, इस ट्रेन से भागलपुर के लोग छपरा, सिवान, गोरखपुर, लखनऊ भी सीधे जा सकते हैं। यहां के लोगों का जुड़ाव इन जगहों से है। लोग गोरखनाथ के दर्शन को भी जा सकेंगे।

सांसद ने कहा, जिस समय अजमेर के लिए ट्रेन चली थी, उसी समय जम्मू के लिए ट्रेन चलाने की मांग भागलपुर की जनता ने की थी। उनकी मांग पूरी कर दी गई है। डीआरएम रवींद्र गुप्ता की तारीफ करते हुए उन्होंने कहा, वर्तमान समय में भागलपुर स्टेशन की तस्वीर बदल गई है। यहां सुविधाओं का विस्तार हुआ है।

पूर्व स्वास्थ्य मंत्री ने कहा, अभी अमरनाथ एक्सप्रेस साप्ताहिक है। अगली सरकार भाजपा की बनेगी, तब यह ट्रेन प्रतिदिन चलेगी। उन्होंने कहा, भागलपुर में डीआरएम कार्यालय भी बनेगा। उसके लिए संघर्ष किया जाएगा। उन्होंने रेलवे को भागलपुर के लोगों के साथ भेदभाव नहीं करने की अपील की। उन्होंने कहा, जितनी भी बोगियां खराब रहती हैं उन्हें मालदा रेल मंडल को सौंप दिया जाता है। ऐसा नहीं होना चाहिए। जनता को होने वाले कष्ट बर्दाश्त नहीं किया जाएगा।

विधान पार्षद मनोज यादव ने बांका से नई दिल्ली के बीच ट्रेन चलाने व बांका-राजेंद्रनगर इंटरसिटी में एसी टू लगाने की मांग डीआरएम से की। डीआरएम रवींद्र गुप्ता ने कहा, भागलपुर से चलने वाली गाड़ियों की संख्या में लगातार बढ़ोतरी हो रही है। मालदा रेल मंडल का भागलपुर पर विशेष ध्यान है। संसाधनों की कमी के बावजूद सुविधाओं में लगातार बढ़ोतरी की जा रही है। उन्होंने कहा, सांसद शाहनवाज हुसैन के प्रयास से भागलपुर से अमरनाथ एक्सप्रेस की सेवा शुरू हो सकी है। यह ट्रेन 1790 किलोमीटर की दूरी 37 घंटों में तय करेगी। इस दौरान कार्यक्रम में धन्यवाद ज्ञापन वरीय डीसीएम ने किया।

Several organisations thanked the Union government for its plans to run a new overnight train from Bidar to Bangalore, which is likely to commence operations in September.“I am very happy. I never thought this would happen in my lifetime,” B.G. Shetkar, president of the Bidar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told The Hindu .He described it as “a revolutionary step that would not only boost Bidar’s industrial development but also increase the tourist footfall to the city’s historical monuments.”But more importantly, it will improve the administration’s efficiency. It will enable senior IAS officials and Ministers to visit the district to monitor development programmes more often, Mr. Shetkar felt. He also thanked Railway Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge and N. Dharam Singh, MP.Srikanth Swamy, president of the Jilla Samagra Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti, said it would address many problems in the district. “It will benefit the poor greatly as trains remain the cheapest mode of transport,” he said.

Anand Devappa, Youth Congress president (Bidar Parliamentary constituency), said this was the result of Mr. Kharge’s relentless work. He was instrumental in getting Article 371 amended and has proven again that the Union government is committed to safeguarding the people’s welfare.

For better security on trains and railway premises

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has sought 640 more personnel to provide security to passengers, check subversive activities and crimes on trains and railway premises, and face new challenges in the railway network of the State.The request for additional RPF personnel from the divisional level has been forwarded through the zonal headquarters of Southern Railway in Chennai to the Railway Board in Delhi for sanction, a top RPF official said .The additional personnel will increase the strength of the RPF from the present 465 to 1,105, and enable the force to make its presence felt more in the railway network.The RPF is headed by a Commissioner and has an Assistant Commissioner to take care of the vast stretch from Tirunelveli to Kanyakumari and from there to Vallathol Nagar.  The number of trains being escorted by the RPF can also be increased from the present 50 once the additional personnel join the force, the official said.

At present, 100 RPF personnel are used for train escort duties daily with the minimum force available.

Of the 465 personnel on the rolls in the division now, only 21 are women - 19 constables and two sub-inspectors.

The women police constables travel in the women’s ladies coach of railway passenger trains in the State from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The request for more personnel comes at a time when the RPF is gearing up to implement the Integrated Security System (ISS) at Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam Junction stations.

The modern security system is part of Railways’ efforts to step up security, ensure safety of the travelling public, and avert terror attacks.

The ISS will be managed by the personnel of the RPF.

Training

The RPF personnel will be trained by the company that has bagged the orders for the two stations to handle hi-tech gadgets, including vehicle scanners to detect explosive substances on vehicles entering and leaving the station, and multi-zone doorframe metal detectors, he said.

The increasing crime against women in the railway network is a major challenge for the force.

To instil a sense of security among the women passengers, the RPF has started an awareness programme under the leadership of Divisional Security Commissioner Rajnish Kumar Tripathi. On Independence Day, pamphlets were distributed to passengers at Thiruvananthapuram Central station as part of the awareness drive.

The two Crime Prevention and Detection Squads (CPDS) set up to provide security to passengers and check subversive activities in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam had been able to check crimes on trains and railway stations premises.

The squad members who travel in plainclothes gathered intelligence on criminals directly or in liaison with the local police and the Government Railway Police personnel, the official said.


At present, 100 RPF personnel are used for train escort duties daily with the minimum force available.