ProUI

K.N. Balagopal, MP, has said the Railways should withdraw the controversial circular that empowers railway staff to “harass” commuters holding season tickets.In a statement here on Thursday in the wake of Monday’s incident at Paravur station, he said that if the harassment did not end, the people would be forced to react strongly.

Initiate action

He wanted the railway authorities to initiate action against those travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) and railway police officers who had confined season ticket holders in coaches of the Kanyakumari-bound express on that day. When the railways were issuing season tickets without any limit, they should also show the responsibility to provide facilities for season ticket holders. When most sleeper coaches of south-bound long distance trains fell vacant on reaching Kollam, the TTEs should not be asked to insist that season ticket holders be stuffed into a lone general coach.

The season ticket facility had been introduced to facilitate the travel of thousands of persons, including government officials, to their place of work.

They were not ticketless travellers, he said.

AHMEDABAD: The city attracts hundreds of visitors from different parts of the country every day. Some come in search of jobs or to establish a business while some others are here simply to see the state. Nowadays, however, it is children from other states found on railway platforms unescorted by any adult, who are keeping the railway police busy. In the past three months, the four railway stations in the city have reported one such child found almost each day. These children do not have their home in Gujarat. In 2012-13, the railway police had reported finding 239 such children in the entire year. In the first three months of 2013-14, 85 runaway kids have been found at the city's railway stations, a rise of 41 per cent.

Childline, an NGO working for child rights and which has a pan-India network for lost-and-found children, reported finding 85 children between March and June this year on the platforms of the city's railway stations. These kids, aged from 6 years to 16 years, were from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. In three instances, the police found more than one such child on a day.

Purnima Gupta, assistant director of Childline, said that a majority of the children found alone at railway stations are boys. "The ratio between boys and girls is almost 3:1. Girls run away in search of greater security, particularly if they are orphaned, but boys leave their native places either to seek employment or after a fight at home. Most of these kids have just a few rupees to spend on travel and food. Once the money is spent, they get down at a railway station. As Ahmedabad is an important station on the Delhi-Mumbai route and has many trains touching the city, many children end their journey here," she said.

The city has four major railway stations - Kalupur, Maninagar, Vatva and Sabarmati. Childline officials said that most runaway children are found at Kalupur railway station. PP Pirojiya, Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector at Kalupur railway station, said that police alertness for children wandering alone at the station had increased after several children were reported missing within a short period of time last year.

"From February 2012, two teams led by a sub-inspector constantly keep watch for children who may be travelling alone. If found, they are taken to the police station where woman constables and NGO representatives question them about their native place and try to send them back," he said. He added that in 2012-13, more than 45 such children were found while in 2013-14 so far, they have reported 23 such kids.

Why do children run away from home? Gupta said that anything can trigger a knee-jerk response from children. "In a case reported in June, we found a 13-year-old boy at Kalupur railway station. He was from Janakpuri in New Delhi. When questioned, he stated that his father had beaten him up for playing games on his elder brother's mobile phone. He felt hurt and ran away from home. When we contacted his father the following day, he rushed to Ahmedabad and took him back to Delhi," she said.BOX

Girls seek greater security

Officials of Railway Protection Force (RPF) say that they had noticed a rise in the number of girl kids running away from home. Strangely, many of them are in search of greater security.

"This might seem contradictory but most such girls have either lost their parents or are unattached to their families because they had started working early in life. The most shocking case was reported in April this year when a six-year-old girl was found alone at Kalupur railway station. She said she had lost her parents earlier this year and after that the shanty in which she lived in Delhi was also demolished. When some miscreants tried to abduct her, she fled from the locality and boarded a train," said a police official. Later, the girl was shifted to Mahipatram Asharm.

Odd jobs suck in runaway kids

What happens to a child who lands in the city alone and is able to remain undetected? Sources said that while girls usually take up jobs as domestic help, boys frequently end up working at small industrial units in areas such as Odhav, Vatva and Naroda where they are exploited as cheap labour. Childline officials said that they had rescued a 14-year-old boy working at a panipuri handcart in Gomtipur. The boy was from Muzaffarpur where he had been pushed into farm labour at an early age. When he did not like it there, he fled home and ended up in Ahmedabad serving at the handcart.

"It shocked us when he told volunteers that he was suffering from gall bladder stones and wanted to save money for the surgery. Despite severe pain, he had worked for a pittance and without a day off for five months. After he was found, we called his uncle and handed over the boy to him," said a Childline official.

A Government Order may be issued next week allowing the city Corporation to redirect funds provided to it by the Suchitwa Mission to the platform construction work at the Kadakkavoor railway station. The funds were provided in the previous financial year for source-based waste management projects.The decision was made during a meeting held on Saturday attended by Local Self Government Department Secretary James Varghese and Mayor K. Chandrika.

Muttathara STP

Another meeting reviewed the developments related to the Muttathara Sewage Treatment Plant. A representative from a Pune-based company attended. The company has offered to set up a plant in five acres of land near the STP which will convert the sludge produced to biogas and then to CNG fuel. The company will submit a proposal based on a visit to the plant next week. Tenders have been floated for the construction of a compound wall around the plant, the final date for bids being August 8.

Members of the CPI, CPI (M) and YSR Congress joined the residents of Bhanunagar to stage a dharna at the colony on Saturday to protest against the fencing of a part of the residential area by the Railways.According to CPI leader Navaneetham Sambasiva Rao, the residents had been living in the colony since 1981 and even the district administration had promised to build the required infrastructure, but now Railways was pouring water over their dreams.According to the activists of the political parties, about 400 families had been living in about 100 houses on the land in question since last four decades.

कोडरमा : माओवादियों द्वारा 28 जुलाई से 3 अगस्त तक चार दिवसीय शहीदी दिवस और रविवार की रात्रि से झारखंड-बिहार सहित अन्य राज्यों में आहूत 24 घंटे के बंद को देखते हुए रेल प्रशासन हाई अलर्ट हो गया है।
धनबाद रेल मंडल के आरपीएफ कमांडेंट शशि कुमार ने बताया कि माओवादियों के बंद को देखते हुए पूरे धनबाद रेल मंडल में हाई अलर्ट घोषित किया गया है। धनबाद रेल मंडल के पांच स्थानों पर पेट्रोल स्पेशल ट्रेन की तैनाती की गई है। वहीं बंद में ट्रेनों का परिचालन सामान्य रूप से हो सके इसके लिए जीआरपी और संबंधित जिलों के एसपी से संपर्क स्थापित किया गया है। दूसरी ओर शहीदी सप्ताह को देखते हुए कोडरमा-रांची वाया हजारीबाग रेल लाइन में मूवमेंट के कारण कार्य प्रभावित होने की संभावना है। कोडरमा एसपी हेमंत टोप्पो ने सभी थानों एवं पिकेट को बंद को देखते हुए अलर्ट कर दिया है एवं गश्ती बढ़ा दी गई है। माओवादी बंदी के कारण लंबी दूरी की बसें रविवार को प्रभावित होने की संभावना है।

The Science Express – Biodiversity exhibition train will be stationed at Tiruchi Junction from August 4 to 7.The special train, equipped with innovative exhibits covering various topics, is a collaborative initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The train has been creating awareness on unique biodiversity of India, climate change, and related issues among people.Eight coaches of the train showcase the myriad biodiversity spread across the bio-geographical zones of India such as the Himalayas, the Gangetic plains, Western Ghats, and so on. One coach contains exhibits on climate change and another on safe, secure, and sustainable environment.The train has a “kids zone” in another coach with fun-filled activities, games, and puzzles in Science, Mathematics, and Environment. A “Joy of Science” laboratory in which students could perform experiments and activities was put up in another coach in addition to a discussion centre-cum-training facility provided for orientation of teachers.

Entry is free and open for all and the exhibition would be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Prior to arriving in Tiruchi, the train will be stationed at Cuddalore Port Junction from July 31 to August 3. After Tiruchi, the train will move to Kudal Nagar, a Southern Railway release here said.

Ludhiana :
In the absence of any boundary wall on the railway station premises and ample space, the station has become a safe haven for stray dogs. The stray dogs can be seen roaming on the station premises.During a visit to the railway station, a number of stray dogs were seen roaming on the platform. Some of the dogs were seen sleeping inside the offices at the railway station. Tables of officials at various offices seem the favourite place of dogs for sleeping.The dogs were also spotted under the benches installed for passengers on various platforms. Though no passenger or visitor at platforms complained against stray dogs, a vendor said a dog tried to bite a girl last Sunday at platform No 1.“With the increase in the number of dogs at the railway station, we can see them roaming everywhere. The government should control the population of dogs in the state. The railway authorities are helpless in keeping the dogs away from the station as they can enter the station through railway tracks,” said Sukhdev, a Railway employee.The stray dogs are also seen sleeping inside cloak room, goods godown and parcel office in the railway station.A worker of the railway station said: “It is too hot outside and the dogs find the surfaces of offices and platforms comfortable. However, no case of dog bite has been reported yet".

लखनऊ । नई दिल्ली जाने वाली वीआईपी ट्रेन शताब्दी एक्सप्रेस में शनिवार को खराब खाना परोस दिया गया। यात्रियों को बदबूदार पनीर और कच्ची दाल दी गई। जिसे खाने के बाद कई लोगों की तबियत बिगड़ गई वहीं कुछ यात्रियों ने खाना खाने से मना कर दिया और नई दिल्ली पहुंचकर जमकर हंगामा किया। इसके बावजूद उनकी शिकायत दर्ज नहीं की गई।

शताब्दी एक्सप्रेस (ट्रेन-12003) दोपहर 3:35 बजे लखनऊ से नई दिल्ली को रवाना हुई थी। कोच सी-10 में करीब 80 यात्रियों को जो खाना परोसा गया उसमें पनीर से बदबू आ रही थी, मीठा दही भी खराब हो गया था जबकि, रोटी और दाल भी कच्ची थी। इसे देखकर कई यात्रियों ने खाना खाने से मना कर दिया। दिल्ली के राजेश शर्मा सहित एक दर्जन से अधिक यात्री खाना खाते ही उल्टियां करने लगे। कई यात्रियों के पेट में दर्द शुरू हो गया। यात्रियों ने दवा के लिए कोच कंडक्टर से सम्पर्क किया लेकिन रास्ते में कहीं भी डॉक्टर नहीं पहुंचे। इसी बोगी में लखनऊ से नई दिल्ली जा रहे राजेश शर्मा के पेट में भी दर्द उठा और उल्टियां हुईं। बर्थ संख्या 30 पर यात्रा कर रहे एक यात्री को भी उल्टी होने लगी। यात्रियोें ने इसकी शिकायत करने के लिए टीटीई से शिकायत पुस्तिका मांगी। पहले तो टीटीई काफी देर तक मामले को टालने का प्रयास करता रहा लेकिन यात्रियों की नाराजगी बढ़ते देख वह बोगी से भाग गया। किसी तरह बीमार यात्री नई दिल्ली पहुंचे तो वहां जमकर हंगामा किया। मामले की शिकायत रेलवे बोर्ड से भी कर दी गई है। तीन दिन पहले कानपुर के पास सियालदह राजधानी एक्सप्रेस में भी खराब खाना परोसा गया था। जबकि नवंबर 2012 में हावड़ा राजधानी में खराब खाना खाने से 50 लोग बीमार हो गए थे। इनमें कई सांसद भी थे।

GORAKHPUR: Under a massive environment protection drive undertaken by the North Eastern Railway, KKAtal, GM, NER, inaugurated a plantation programme by planting a sapling at Golf ground, Gorakhpur on Saturday.On the occasion, Atal said, "Trees are essential for life and without trees human would not exist on this beautiful planet. Due to the unprecedented cutting of trees, the whole ecological balance has been disturbed. We all should pledge to plant at least one tree in our life.""During this monsoon season, the plantation programme will be carried on the empty land of Railways," he added.OP Agarwal, princiapal chief engineer, RP Nibria, chief electrical engineer, Arvind Kumar, chief commercial engineer, Anil Sharma, chief mechanical engineer, HK Agarwal, chief signal and telecommunication engineer, PN Rai, SDGM, Bechu Rai, chief electrical engineer/head quarter, USS Yadav, chief track engineer, Alok Kumar Singh, CPRO, Amit Singh, secretary/GM, Sanjay Yadav, DGM/General and CM Chaudhary, dy chief engineer / Gorakhpur area also planted saplings on the occasion.

Ludhiana :
In the absence of any boundary wall on the railway station premises and ample space, the station has become a safe haven for stray dogs. The stray dogs can be seen roaming on the station premises.During a visit to the railway station, a number of stray dogs were seen roaming on the platform. Some of the dogs were seen sleeping inside the offices at the railway station. Tables of officials at various offices seem the favourite place of dogs for sleeping.The dogs were also spotted under the benches installed for passengers on various platforms. Though no passenger or visitor at platforms complained against stray dogs, a vendor said a dog tried to bite a girl last Sunday at platform No 1.“With the increase in the number of dogs at the railway station, we can see them roaming everywhere. The government should control the population of dogs in the state. The railway authorities are helpless in keeping the dogs away from the station as they can enter the station through railway tracks,” said Sukhdev, a Railway employee.The stray dogs are also seen sleeping inside cloak room, goods godown and parcel office in the railway station.A worker of the railway station said: “It is too hot outside and the dogs find the surfaces of offices and platforms comfortable. However, no case of dog bite has been reported yet".