ProUI

MARGAO: The villagers of Sao Jose de Areal, during their gram sabha held recently,demanded that an over bridge at the Nessai railway crossing be construction in addition to levelling of the road with tiles due to the major inconvenience currently being experienced by the villagers.The villagers pointed out that the road leading to the railway crossing has become very bumpy and is very narrow. They demanded that an overbridge be constructed at the junction while in the meantime, the crossing be replaced with tiles as it has been done in other places.Sarpanch Julio Monteiro assured the villager to take up the matter with the railway authorities.The villagers also wanted to know the status of the land acquisition process by the Directorate of Sports.They also demanded that the panchayat immediately take up the task of setting up signboards in the village naming the wards.They demanded that first sarpanch be recognised for playing a vital role in creating an independent identity for the village.

The villagers also raised the issue of setting up of a technical institution and a higher secondary in the village under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

On the development front, the sarparnch informed that a project worth Rs 27 lakh and more projects will be taken up after the government provides funds for development to every panchayat.

MUMBAI: LokmanyaTilak Terminus, considered to be the city's worst face presented to a visitor, is on track for a facelift. Central Railway has decided to build a travelator to link LTT and Kurla suburban railway station, to ease commuters' woes.CR plans to initiate the bidding process for the project after the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, is opened. LTT is considered to be the city's most inaccessible station because of its poor road and suburban rail connectivity and a large number of auto and taxi drivers outside it who are infamous for fleecing and even assaulting commuters.CR's divisional railway manager Mukesh Nigam said, "We plan to build a 700m-long moving walkway to connect LTT to Kurla station. Passengers will then be able to cover this distance with luggage in tow in 5 to 7 minutes. But we will able to firm up plans only after the SCLR project is complete." Work on the travelator can only begin after railway land is cleared of construction material and debris from the much-delayed SCLR project, and a proper vehicular traffic pattern is established.Though built as a modern terminus, travelling to and from LTT is a commuter's nightmare. Commuters, especially women, have had nightmarish experiences at LTT. In November last year, a starlet was taken for a "long ride" by auto drivers from LTT and assaulted before she managed to escape. "A cartel of drivers is in cahoots with local police and RTO. It is difficult to break the cartel unless the RTO launches a drive to weed out unscrupulous elements," said activist Anil Galgali. He said several autos fleece passengers with pre-decided fares and don't ply by meter. Principal secretary (transport) Shailesh Sharma said, "We plan to streamline the auto service outside LTT by introducing a prepaid stand." But a prepaid taxi service started at LTT a few months back hasn't deterred rogue cabbies, sources said. A L Quadros, whose union manages the prepaid taxi service at LTT, said, "There is chaos . We have complained several times to the transport department and railways, but the situation has not changed. The RTO and traffic cops too have done precious little to keep the notorious drivers at bay." An activist said, "Passengers arriving by early-morning or late-night trains have no option but to depend on autos and taxis. They are often gullible victims for rogue drivers who even enter the platform premises."

A senior CR official said, "Though final estimates are yet be prepared, the project is likely to cost Rs 9 crore." CR also plans to increase platforms at LTT to 12 from the existing five.

NEW DELHI: In a setback to Udhampur-Katra rail link project, the work on the 25-km-long stretch has been slowed down after the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir over the BSF firing incident at Ramban.The Katra line was expected to be operational by the end of August as work was going on full throttle. But now it is further delayed and likely to be commissioned in October this year."The workforce involved in laying the tracks between Udhampur and Katra, part of the Kashmir rail link project, had fled after the turmoil in the state due to the firing incident and it has affected the progress of the ongoing work," a senior Northern Railway official involved in the project said.He said majority of the skilled workforce were from outside of the state including Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar.Though the work has been resumed in the section, the pace is slow as all the workers have not yet returned, the official said.The ballast-less track is being laid on the Udhampur-Katra section which involves about 11 km of tunnelling, nine major bridges, 29 minor bridges and 10 rail overbids/rail under-bridges.Trial run will be conducted on the route after the completion of laying the track and the Commissioner Railway Safety will inspect the line before giving the clearance.We are trying to make the line operational before the commencement of Navaratri, official said.

All the tunnelling as well as bridge works have been completed.

MANGALORE: The extended service of train 12081 Kannur - Thiruvanathapuram Jan Shatabdi express will be flagged off by K Sudhakaran, Member of Parliament at Kannur Railway station on August 2 at 4.45pm.AP Abdulla Kutty, MLA, Roshni Khalid, Chairperson, Kannur Municipality and K A Sarala, District Panchayat President will be present at the function. Train 12082 Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express leaving Thiruvananthapuram on August 2 will come up to Kannur. These trains will have 3 AC Chair Car, 13 Second Class Chair Car and 2 Luggage-cum-Brake Van coaches.On the same day at 10am, MP Sudhakaran will inaugurate the cleanliness drive, tree plantation, garden development and spreading of awareness on safety measures at Kannur Station.

MUMBAI: LokmanyaTilak Terminus, considered to be the city's worst face presented to a visitor, is on track for a facelift. Central Railway has decided to build a travelator to link LTT and Kurla suburban railway station, to ease commuters' woes.CR plans to initiate the bidding process for the project after the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, is opened. LTT is considered to be the city's most inaccessible station because of its poor road and suburban rail connectivity and a large number of auto and taxi drivers outside it who are infamous for fleecing and even assaulting commuters.CR's divisional railway manager Mukesh Nigam said, "We plan to build a 700m-long moving walkway to connect LTT to Kurla station. Passengers will then be able to cover this distance with luggage in tow in 5 to 7 minutes. But we will able to firm up plans only after the SCLR project is complete." Work on the travelator can only begin after railway land is cleared of construction material and debris from the much-delayed SCLR project, and a proper vehicular traffic pattern is established.Though built as a modern terminus, travelling to and from LTT is a commuter's nightmare. Commuters, especially women, have had nightmarish experiences at LTT. In November last year, a starlet was taken for a "long ride" by auto drivers from LTT and assaulted before she managed to escape. "A cartel of drivers is in cahoots with local police and RTO. It is difficult to break the cartel unless the RTO launches a drive to weed out unscrupulous elements," said activist Anil Galgali. He said several autos fleece passengers with pre-decided fares and don't ply by meter. Principal secretary (transport) Shailesh Sharma said, "We plan to streamline the auto service outside LTT by introducing a prepaid stand." But a prepaid taxi service started at LTT a few months back hasn't deterred rogue cabbies, sources said. A L Quadros, whose union manages the prepaid taxi service at LTT, said, "There is chaos . We have complained several times to the transport department and railways, but the situation has not changed. The RTO and traffic cops too have done precious little to keep the notorious drivers at bay." An activist said, "Passengers arriving by early-morning or late-night trains have no option but to depend on autos and taxis. They are often gullible victims for rogue drivers who even enter the platform premises."

A senior CR official said, "Though final estimates are yet be prepared, the project is likely to cost Rs 9 crore." CR also plans to increase platforms at LTT to 12 from the existing five.

Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister for Railways, laid the foundation stones of the Rohtak-Meham-Hansi new rail line and shifting of Rohtak-Makrauli section of Rohtak-Gohana-Panipat rail line from Hansi and Rohtak respectively today.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana, presided over both the functions in the presence of Oscar Fernandes, Minister of Road Transportation and National Highways, Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Kuldeep Singh Bishnoi, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Ranbir Singh Prajapati, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Shadi Lal Batra, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Bharat Bhushan Batra, MLA, Rohtak, Vinod Bhayana, MLA, Hansi, Savitri Jindal, MLA, Hissar,  Anand Singh Dangi, MLA, Meham, Shakuntala Khatak, MLA, Kalanaur, Ram Kishan Fouji, MLA, Bawani Khera and Ram Niwas Ghorela, MLA, Barwala on the occasion.

Northern Railway will achieve another milestone in bringing direct and shorter rail connectivity between the developing industrial townships of Rohtak and Hissar by constructing a new rail line from Rohtak to Hansi via Mehem. This new rail line was been sanctioned in 2012-13 at an estimated cost of Rs 406.87 crores on cost-sharing basis with the state of Haryana.

Rohtak and Hissar are connected by railways via two routes, that is Bhiwani and Jakhal, the distance of which is 142.56 km and 210.60 km respectively. Once the new broad gauge link between Rohtak-Hissar via Hansi is completed, the distance will be reduced to 93.919 km, thus reducing cost of travel with corresponding reduction in travel time.

The new rail line from Rohtak to Hissar via Hansi will have 4 stations — Bahu Akbarpur, Kharkhara, Bahalbah and Sorkhi. Covering the three districts of Rohtak, Bhiwani and Hissar, the rail line will benefit residents of surrounding villages. There will be seven major bridges and 96 minor bridges including four road-under-bridges and 37 level-crossings in this rail project. As this region is in proximity to the National Capital Region and is marked by dense population, the commissioning of the new rail line will be very beneficial.

Presently the Rohtak-Gohana-Panipat railway line runs via Makrauli. Due to several operational conveniences it has been proposed to shift Rohtak-Makrauli line. Its immediate benefit is that its alternative route, the Rohtak-Samargopalpur line will provide a third line between the two stations along the main line. Another important factor is that once this line gets operational no engine reversal will be required on the Delhi-Panipat and Rewari-Panipat routes and a blind curve of 2 km and eight existing level crossing gates will be eliminated.

Along with these benefits, another platform will be provided at Rohtak and two road–over–bridges already sanctioned will not be required to be built. The existing line will be dismantled and a road will be constructed in its place. The relocated line will run parallel to Rohtak-Jind line and the proposed North bypass of Rohtak before reconnecting at kilometer 8.89 with Rohtak-Panipat line. To facilitate running of traffic from Jind-Panipat via Samargopalpur, thus avoiding Rohtak, one Y-junction is proposed connecting Samargopalpur station and alternate route.

The new Rohtak-Mehem–Hansi rail line and shifting of Rohtak-Makrauli Line of Rohtak-Gohana-Panipat Section will upgrade Northern Railway’s capacity to increase its fleet of trains on these sections.

MADURAI: As announced in the 2013-14 railway budget, two passenger train services have been extended in the Madurai railway division. While the Madurai - Kollam - Madurai passenger has bee extended up to Punalur from Thursday (August 1), the Madurai - Dindigul - Madurai passenger will be extended to Palani from August 2.An official statement from the Southern Railway said that train number 56700/56701 Madurai - Kollam -Madurai passenger will be extended to Punalur. Train number 56700 Madurai - Kollam passenger leaving Madurai on Wednesday 11.15pm and arriving Kollam on August 1 by 9.05am will be extended to Punalur as Madurai - Punalur passenger and the train will reach the station by 11.10am.Meanwhile train number 56701 Kollam - Madurai passenger will start from Punalur as Punalur - Madurai passenger at 3.50pm on August 1 and arrive Kollam at 5.40pm. It will leave Kollam at 6.10pm and reach Madurai at 6.20am the next day. The train will stop at all stations between Kollam and Punalur viz. Kilikollur, Chandanattop Halt, Kundra, Kundra East Halt, Ezhukone, Kottarakara, Kuri Halt and Auvaneeswaram.In the same way, train number 56710/56709 Madurai - Dindigul - Madurai train is extended to Palani. The inaugural and regular service of train number 56710 Madurai - Palani Passenger and train number 56709 Palani - Madurai passenger will commence from August 2. Train number 56710 Madurai - Palani passenger will leave Madurai at 7.35am and arrive Dindigul at 8.55am. It will leave Dindigul at 9am to reach Palani at 10.45am. Train number 56709 Palani - Madurai passenger will leave Palani at 5.05pm and arrive Dindigul at 6.10pm; it will leave Dindigul at 6.15pm and reach Madurai at 8.15pm. The trains will stop at Kudal Nagar, Samayanallur, Sholavandan, Vadipatti, Kodaikkanal Road, Ambaturai, Dindigul, Akkaraippatti, Oddanchatram and Chatrapatti.

State minister for electricity and prohibition and excise, Natham R Viswanathan, Dindigul MP, N S V Chitthan and other dignitaries are expected to flag off the extended service of train number 56710 Madurai - Dindigul Passenger to Palani at Dindigul railway station at 9am on August 2, the railway statement observed.

MUMBAI: LokmanyaTilak Terminus, considered to be the city's worst face presented to a visitor, is on track for a facelift. Central Railway has decided to build a travelator to link LTT and Kurla suburban railway station, to ease commuters' woes.CR plans to initiate the bidding process for the project after the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, is opened. LTT is considered to be the city's most inaccessible station because of its poor road and suburban rail connectivity and a large number of auto and taxi drivers outside it who are infamous for fleecing and even assaulting commuters.CR's divisional railway manager Mukesh Nigam said, "We plan to build a 700m-long moving walkway to connect LTT to Kurla station. Passengers will then be able to cover this distance with luggage in tow in 5 to 7 minutes. But we will able to firm up plans only after the SCLR project is complete." Work on the travelator can only begin after railway land is cleared of construction material and debris from the much-delayed SCLR project, and a proper vehicular traffic pattern is established.Though built as a modern terminus, travelling to and from LTT is a commuter's nightmare. Commuters, especially women, have had nightmarish experiences at LTT. In November last year, a starlet was taken for a "long ride" by auto drivers from LTT and assaulted before she managed to escape. "A cartel of drivers is in cahoots with local police and RTO. It is difficult to break the cartel unless the RTO launches a drive to weed out unscrupulous elements," said activist Anil Galgali. He said several autos fleece passengers with pre-decided fares and don't ply by meter. Principal secretary (transport) Shailesh Sharma said, "We plan to streamline the auto service outside LTT by introducing a prepaid stand." But a prepaid taxi service started at LTT a few months back hasn't deterred rogue cabbies, sources said. A L Quadros, whose union manages the prepaid taxi service at LTT, said, "There is chaos . We have complained several times to the transport department and railways, but the situation has not changed. The RTO and traffic cops too have done precious little to keep the notorious drivers at bay." An activist said, "Passengers arriving by early-morning or late-night trains have no option but to depend on autos and taxis. They are often gullible victims for rogue drivers who even enter the platform premises."

A senior CR official said, "Though final estimates are yet be prepared, the project is likely to cost Rs 9 crore." CR also plans to increase platforms at LTT to 12 from the existing five.

NEW DELHI: The Haryana government said on Wednesday that the Centre has given approval for two civilian airports in Hisar and Karnal.Making this announcement, chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed soon. He said the state government had applied for five airports for Hisar, Bhiwani, Narnaul, Karnal and Pinjore out of which the approval of two came on Wednesday.These airports would give connectivity a leg-up and boost industry and tourism in the state, a government release said. Hooda said that talks were in progress with the Central government for setting up of an international cargo airport in the state. For long, Haryana has been pushing for this in Jhajjar district in the National Capital Region (NCR).Sources said that the announcement of developing two airports would prove politically beneficial to the Hooda government. Recently, Haryana got the Indian National Defence University (INDU) — the first varsity of its kind in the country. "The focus is to push development across the state," said an official.The state government has also announced to provide 50% of Rs 2,515 crore for implementation of three railway line projects — Delhi-Sohna-Nuh-Ferozpur Jhirka-Alwar, Hisar-Agroha-Fatehabad-Sirsa and Yamunanagar-Sadhora-Naraingarh-Chandigarh — for their early construction. The length of these rail lines would be 104 km, 93 km and 91 km, respectively.

NEW DELHI: In a setback to Udhampur-Katra rail link project, the work on the 25-km-long stretch has been slowed down after the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir over the BSF firing incident at Ramban.The Katra line was expected to be operational by the end of August as work was going on full throttle. But now it is further delayed and likely to be commissioned in October this year."The workforce involved in laying the tracks between Udhampur and Katra, part of the Kashmir rail link project, had fled after the turmoil in the state due to the firing incident and it has affected the progress of the ongoing work," a senior Northern Railway official involved in the project said.He said majority of the skilled workforce were from outside of the state including Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar.Though the work has been resumed in the section, the pace is slow as all the workers have not yet returned, the official said.The ballast-less track is being laid on the Udhampur-Katra section which involves about 11 km of tunnelling, nine major bridges, 29 minor bridges and 10 rail overbids/rail under-bridges.Trial run will be conducted on the route after the completion of laying the track and the Commissioner Railway Safety will inspect the line before giving the clearance.We are trying to make the line operational before the commencement of Navaratri, official said.

All the tunnelling as well as bridge works have been completed.