ProUI

SRINAGAR

At least 63 youth have been arrested by Railway police for their alleged involvement in damaging trains and railway property in different parts of South Kashmir.

Police sources told a local news agency, CNS that during different stone pelting incidents agitated youth damaged railway property at different places in South Kashmir. “After analyzing video clips all the culprits were identified and arrested,” sources said.

At least 63 youth have been arrested so far who belong to different places including Awantipora, Islamabad, Kakapora and other areas.

“All these youth have been detained by Railway police,” a police official said.

Despite repeated attempts Superintendent of Police, Railways could not be contacted.

Dindigul Railway Station under security blanket

Preventive measure:Railway police checking passengers inside a train at the Dindigul railway station on Tuesday ahead of Independence Day.PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN The Railway Police have intensified surveillance in express and passenger trains and brought the Dindigul Railway station under security blanket ahead of the Independence Day celebrations here on Tuesday.

A special team led by Railway Police Sub-Inspector R. Mahalakshmi checked the baggage of passengers and parcels on platforms. Metal detectors were used.

Already a check point has been set up at passenger ticket reservation office, entrance of the railway station to check passengers’ luggage.

Night patrolling has also been intensified on platforms. The police were travelling along with the passengers in express trains up to Tiruchi as a protection measure, Ms. Mahalakshmi added.

A door frame metal detector will be installed on Platform no.1 tomorrow to check passengers.

Train No. 18509/18510 Visakhapatnam-Nanded-Visakhapatnam Express will now be tri-weekly. With effect from Tuesday, the 18509 Visakhapatnam-Nanded Express, leaving Visakhapatnam on Wednesdays and Saturdays will now run on Tuesdays too. It will arrive/depart Secunderabad 9 am/9.20 am on  Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. From August 14, No.18510 Nanded-Viskhapatnam Express, now leaving Nanded on Thursdays and Sundays, will run on Wednesdays too. It will arrive/depart  Secunderabad station at 9.10 pm/9.30 pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

From August 15, the 17012 Bellampalli-Hyderabad Express will terminate at Secunderabad. The train will leave Bellampalli at 11 am and reaches Secunderabad at 5 pm.

In a similar manner, 17010 Hyderabad-Bidar Express will start from Secunderabad instead of from Hyderabad. It will leave Secunderabad at 5.30 pm and arrive at Bidar at 9.15 pm.

The timings of 17233 Secunderabad-Balharsha Bhagyanagar Express between Asifabad Road and Vihirgaon will be changed from August 15. It will leave Secunderabad as per the present time i.e. 3.15 pm.

According to the revised section, it will depart from Asifabad Road at 10.25 pm (instead of 8.25 pm), Sirpurkaghaznagar at 11.10 pm (instead of 9.50 pm), Sirpur Town at 11.20 pm (instead of 10.15 pm), Makudi at 11.40 pm (instead of 10.30 pm), Wirur at 11.50 pm (instead of  10.50 hrs), Vihirgaon at 00.15 am (instead of 11.10 pm), leave Manikgarh at its existing time of 00.30 am on the next day and arrive at Balharsha at its existing time of 1 am.

No cases filed against those indulging violence, rail rook stir

In the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitations to press for keeping the State united, the role of police is raising many doubts among the public. On many occasions, the police remained a mute spectator though the protestors resorted to arson and violence.Victims find it difficult to digest the loss they sustained. With the government reportedly giving oral instructions to maintain restraint and go soft on the protestors, the police are remaining silent on the dharnas, rasta rokos, rallies, human chains and rail rokos. Public are criticising the police for not taking any measure to prevent vandalism and arson against the public and government property.The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), who cautioned the agitators about slapping provisions of Indian Railway Act and IPC sections, if they violate law or trespass into the station and stop the trains, could not book any cases though the protestors stopped Simhadri and Janmabhoomi Express trains in Guntur and Tenali.Protestors are facing the ire of the public, as they are not exempting emergency services like ambulances, milk and water tankers too when they obstruct the vehicular traffic. The aged passengers, patients and children sitting in the RTC buses, autos and other private vehicles are the worst affected during the road blockades.“The agitators damaged the APSRTC buses in the presence of the police. We could not understand whether police force was meant to protect the public and government properties, or escorting the agitators. Such incidents prove that some police personnel are encouraging the agitators”, said a resident preferring anonymity.Police said there were reports of anti-social elements entering into the movement and diluting the movement. Even the government had reportedly issued orders to the para-military forces directing them not to resort to lathi-charge. “Until the situation goes out of control, our hands are tied,” said a police officer.“Following the directions of the government, we have not registered cases against the protestors who entered the railway stations. The agitations were videographed and identified the protestors who disrupted the trains. We can proceed only if the Government permits us”, said a police officer.

New Delhi: No platform tickets will be sold at New Delhi, Nizamuddin and Old Delhi railway stations from today till August 15 due to security reasons on account of the Independence Day.However, platform tickets will be sold on demand to senior citizens, physically challenged and patients, said a senior Northern Railway official.He said tickets would also be provided to ladies travelling alone or with children.The railways had earlier decided to stop the movement of trains between Old Delhi and Shahadara on the morning of August 15 in view of the Independence Day function at the nearby Red Fort.

As part of the plan to protect railway tracks and prevent encroachments on its property, rail authorities have decided to construct a 7km-long wall between Bhopal railway station and Habibganj railway station at a cost R1.5 crore.Commandant of Railway Protection Force (RPF), Bhopal Vijay Khatarkar said, "A wall would be constructed on both sides of the tracks between Habibganj and Bhopal railway stations.It will help to protect railway properties and prevent several untoward incidents. The budget for the project has been sanctioned and work is expected to start soon.The wall would first be constructed in areas which are considered security threats," he said.Recently, 20-year-old Poonam Soni was run over by a train while crossing the track near Kasturba Nagar.Several people cross the railway tracks daily between Habibganj and Bhopal railway stations especially near Kasturba Nagar, Rachana Nagar, Subhash Railway crossing, Barkhedi and Aishbagh. At numerous occasions, they are run over by approaching trains. The RPF has failed to put an end to this menace.Often, anti-social elements put stones, iron rods and electric poles on the tracks. "Once the wall is constructed, anti-social elements would not be able to sabotage the tracks.It would also help the RPF to protect railway properties," a senior railway official said.Several slums have come up adjacent to the railway tracks near Subhash railway crossing, Barkhedi and other areas. The shanties have even covered the railway signals as a result train drivers face problems while crossing this section."If the wall, which is estimated to be 6ft-tall, is constructed from both sides, the people would not able to develop shanties near the railway track," said Vijay Khatarkar.However, railway sources said as of now with the first phase of construction, the railway authorities will not meddle with the existing encroachments but will carry on the work at places which are still under the possession of the railways.

Several motorists had a close shave on Monday evening as the Jhelum Express came to a grinding halt metres away from the railway crossing at Manjari near Hadapsar. Vehicles were stuck on the tracks after the railway gate was closed by the gateman.

Officials of the Pune division of Central Railways, which has launched a probe in the matter, said the train driver's presence of mind saved the lives of "some two-wheeler riders and motorists". The incident occurred around 5.30 pm at Manjari railway crossing soon after the Indrayani Express coming from Solapur left the railway crossing and headed towards Pune. The gateman downed the boom but two-wheeler riders, pedestrians and a couple of motorists kept moving ahead.

In no time, the gates were down as the Jhelum Express was approaching from Pune, leaving the vehicular traffic stranded on the tracks while the pedestrians managed to move to safety.

The two-wheeler riders made desperate attempts to move away but could not succeed as the gate wouldn't open. The Jhelum Express had left Pune station at 5.20 pm.

Central Railway spokesperson Y K Singh said the driver of Jhelum Express spotted the vehicular traffic from a distance and brought the speeding train to a halt.

"Since it was daytime, he could spot them. Prima facie it seems the gateman was at fault, but he can't be blamed as people refused to stop even as the boom was coming down. "People are not ready to wait even for five minutes. They are in a hurry to cross over to other side," he said.

AHMEDABAD: Activists from Gujarat have launched an online petition to challenge the decision of the state government and the National Board for Wildlife to give permission to create a rail corridor that will cut close to the Thol bird sanctuary. The corridor has been proposed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFC) of India. The railway line will pass just 700 metres from the sanctuary. The petition is addressed to P V Jayakrishanan, the chairman of the central empowered committee of the Union environment ministry. In the petition, activists note that the principal chief wildlife warden (CWW) of Gujarat has given the final approval to the railway line. The petition says that the series of events surrounding the approval suggests that the DFC had requested a no-objection certificate from the office of the CWW. Before approving the project, the office of the CWW had directed the matter to the deputy conservator of forests, Nalsarovar forest division, the petition says. Also, the matter was presented to the Gujarat sate Board for Wildlife and the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife, the petitioners say. However, the petition says, looking at the processes that were followed by the office of the CWW of Gujarat, it was clear that due procedure was not followed.

Further, the petitioners argue, the project will engage high-tension electric lines which will cause irreversible damage to water and to the migratory birds.

The activists have demanded that the authorities be ordered to cancel the approval. The activists want the railway line to be at least 10 km from the boundary of the sanctuary.

No cases filed against those indulging violence, rail rook stir

In the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitations to press for keeping the State united, the role of police is raising many doubts among the public. On many occasions, the police remained a mute spectator though the protestors resorted to arson and violence.Victims find it difficult to digest the loss they sustained. With the government reportedly giving oral instructions to maintain restraint and go soft on the protestors, the police are remaining silent on the dharnas, rasta rokos, rallies, human chains and rail rokos. Public are criticising the police for not taking any measure to prevent vandalism and arson against the public and government property.The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), who cautioned the agitators about slapping provisions of Indian Railway Act and IPC sections, if they violate law or trespass into the station and stop the trains, could not book any cases though the protestors stopped Simhadri and Janmabhoomi Express trains in Guntur and Tenali.Protestors are facing the ire of the public, as they are not exempting emergency services like ambulances, milk and water tankers too when they obstruct the vehicular traffic. The aged passengers, patients and children sitting in the RTC buses, autos and other private vehicles are the worst affected during the road blockades.“The agitators damaged the APSRTC buses in the presence of the police. We could not understand whether police force was meant to protect the public and government properties, or escorting the agitators. Such incidents prove that some police personnel are encouraging the agitators”, said a resident preferring anonymity.Police said there were reports of anti-social elements entering into the movement and diluting the movement. Even the government had reportedly issued orders to the para-military forces directing them not to resort to lathi-charge. “Until the situation goes out of control, our hands are tied,” said a police officer.“Following the directions of the government, we have not registered cases against the protestors who entered the railway stations. The agitations were videographed and identified the protestors who disrupted the trains. We can proceed only if the Government permits us”, said a police officer.

No cases filed against those indulging violence, rail rook stir

In the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitations to press for keeping the State united, the role of police is raising many doubts among the public. On many occasions, the police remained a mute spectator though the protestors resorted to arson and violence.Victims find it difficult to digest the loss they sustained. With the government reportedly giving oral instructions to maintain restraint and go soft on the protestors, the police are remaining silent on the dharnas, rasta rokos, rallies, human chains and rail rokos. Public are criticising the police for not taking any measure to prevent vandalism and arson against the public and government property.The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), who cautioned the agitators about slapping provisions of Indian Railway Act and IPC sections, if they violate law or trespass into the station and stop the trains, could not book any cases though the protestors stopped Simhadri and Janmabhoomi Express trains in Guntur and Tenali.Protestors are facing the ire of the public, as they are not exempting emergency services like ambulances, milk and water tankers too when they obstruct the vehicular traffic. The aged passengers, patients and children sitting in the RTC buses, autos and other private vehicles are the worst affected during the road blockades.“The agitators damaged the APSRTC buses in the presence of the police. We could not understand whether police force was meant to protect the public and government properties, or escorting the agitators. Such incidents prove that some police personnel are encouraging the agitators”, said a resident preferring anonymity.Police said there were reports of anti-social elements entering into the movement and diluting the movement. Even the government had reportedly issued orders to the para-military forces directing them not to resort to lathi-charge. “Until the situation goes out of control, our hands are tied,” said a police officer.“Following the directions of the government, we have not registered cases against the protestors who entered the railway stations. The agitations were videographed and identified the protestors who disrupted the trains. We can proceed only if the Government permits us”, said a police officer.