ProUI

25-07-2013
Secunderabad
Train No. 16351/16352 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express to run via Renigunta

..

South Central Railway will divert Train No. 16351/16352 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express to run via Reniguntawithout touching Tirupati  with effect from the dates mentioned below:-

1)  Train No. 16351 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil Balaji Express will run via Renigunta without touching Tirupati with effect from 03rd September, 2013.

2) Train No. 16352 Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express will run via Renigunta without touching Tirupati with effect from 05th September, 2013.

Two persons involved in the theft of Rs. 4.72 lakhs from the chest of reservation counter of the Berhampur railway station were arrested by the personnel of the Government Railway Police (GRP).The arrested persons were Srikant Pani of Pandara Street in the old town area and Chittaranjan Sahu of Khajuria area. The railway police seized Rs. 69,500 from their possession.According to the police, both of them were brokers who used to extort money from passengers in the name of arranging reservation in trains. Interrogation of the arrested revealed that two other persons were also involved in the case. Search is on to nab the other two accused in the case.The theft occurred on July 13 night. The four accused had hidden in the darkness under the staircase that led to the reservation counter on the first floor of the station building. When the staff of the reservation counter left the premises after locking up its gate at around 10 p.m., the four had entered the counter to break open the chest and take out the cash in it. To escape out, the accused had cut down the locked grill. It was astonishing that they had done all this while the railway station was agog with activity throughout the night.As per the information provided by the arrested persons, they had not counted the amount they had stolen. The two others, who are yet to be nabbed, had escaped leaving behind around Rs. 1 lakh with them. They had shared the stolen money among them on July 13 night.


The amount was stolen from the chest of reservation counter on July 13

Two of the four accused in the case were arrested

Maps, bells and lamps made of “China Glass”, staff badges, clocks, tickets and yellowing piles of paperwork. Huddled together under the soaring ceiling of the ‘Heritage Room’ of Southern Railway’s General Office building in Tiruchi, they seem to be passengers waiting for their journey to start.

And, in a way, perhaps they are. For these artefacts of a bygone era are to form a part of the upcoming railway museum. The collection, curated by an in-house team of officials, includes items such as old manuals, maps, gazettes, and files containing Indo-Ceylon Steamer service records and photographs in addition to out-of-use equipment such as stamping sticks, belt buckles of foremen and signal devices.

The museum is meant to be part of the erstwhile South Indian Railway’s sesquicentennial (150 years) celebrations, though as Mrs Manjula Rangarajan, Divisional Railway Manager, concedes, it’s a little behind schedule.

“The building is now complete, we are working on the electrification. Due to fund constraints, it is not possible for us to throw open the entire museum in one go. So we thought we’d do it in phases. The central hall is ready, and as part of our sesquicentennial celebrations, we thought we would inaugurate this part of the museum. We have a broad idea of where we want to place the exhibits, though it is subject to change in the future,” said Mrs Manjula in an interview.

The site shortlisted for the Railway Heritage Centre, as the museum will be known, is adjacent to the Community Hall near the Tiruchi railway junction, with a total area of about 15 acres. The original station building of the city that was then known as Trichinopoly, built in 1886, will be spruced up to serve as the office and ticket sales counter of the museum.

When we visited, the flooring tiles were being laid in the central exhibition hall, built in a quasi-Raj style. The proposed centre (with an approximate budget of Rs20mn) will be allocating 500 square metres for indoor exhibits. Besides the transport artefacts mentioned above, there is provision for a study room for researching railway history, philately on railway themes, and a digital archive of rare documents related to the South Indian Railway.

“We are planning a family-friendly destination,” said Mrs Manjula of the project. The indoor exhibits will be complemented by an external visitor area containing shady alcoves and eateries, and even a toy train and one or two vintage locomotive engines.

As to what she feels is the most significant part of the heritage collection, Mrs Manjula pointed out to the vintage paperwork that “tell us how we used to run the railways 150 years ago, and how much of it is still in place. It seems we have very good systems in place which are time-tested. Whatever mishaps occur would be mainly due to human error. The signalling systems were rudimentary, technological advancements may have occurred, but the system remains the same.”

The fragile paper documents need a climate-controlled storage system, which, for now, says Mrs Manjula, is still to be finalised.

Reflecting on the future of train travel in India, she said, “I think we are here to stay definitely for a couple of centuries. Our avatars may change, but we will always be there because it will take some time for our people to move away from the railways to the roadways as they have done in the West. More people are indeed taking flights to their destinations (in the domestic sector), but it’s a very large pie, and we have a very large share of that pie.”

Mr S Sayinathan, Traffic Inspector and one of the collection’s curators, says that only after he got formally involved in the project did he realise the indelible link between the railways and India’s history. “After coming to this department to preserve heritage material, I found out that the South Indian Railway is a great organisation,” he said, adding that the development of rail routes throughout the country reflected the India’s growth as well.

“Among our records we have details of how a 542-km stretch on the Tiruchi to Erode route was converted into broad gauge in a mere five hours, on the Pamban cantilever bridge that connects the Palk Strait to mainland India, and which opened to traffic in 1914, and the Unesco heritage status-Nilgiri Mountain railway (inaugurated in 1899 and still in service),” said Mr Sayinathan.

The museum project has also sparked interest among the families of the British staff who worked in South Indian Railway, says Mr Sayinathan, many of who have got in touch and shared their own memorabilia related to the years spent by their forefathers in India.

In 2010, Southern Railway published a glossy volume of rare photographs and historical information titled Marvels of The South Indian Railway, compiled by S Subramhanyan, then-Divisional Railway Manager, as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations.

Considering the potential value of the antiques inside, the Heritage Room is kept locked and out of bounds to the public. The room has the railway security force personnel’s protection throughout the day, and fire alarm systems are in place to avert potential disasters.

An expert from the Saraswathi Mahal in Thanjavur has helped to guide the team in preserving the artefacts for posterity against termites. But dealing with the mice and other rodents has required the services of the rather more simple mousetrap.

Mr Sayinathan checks the authenticity of each piece individually, a process made easier, he says, due to the British habit of stamping every item with the name of the company. “We cannot display all the old materials, because some may still be in use,” he said. “[But] we want to showcase our history to the public, so that they can understand our achievement.”

Nothing is as intricately linked to our lives as the railways. Indian Railways’ glorious sojourn that completed 160 years was captured in the just-concluded photo exhibition conducted by the South Central Railway at Salarjung museum.The week-long exhibition presented in 215 pictures the varied stages of the exciting journey of the steam engine, the iconic new age machine of transportation the Britishintroduced for its troop movements. From the chug-chug locomotive to the modern trains in a tearing hurry on electrical lines, the machine has transformed itself, serving millions of people every day.Nearly 10,000 footfalls had been recorded at the exhibition. The particular interest to everybody was the famous picture of Mahatma Gandhi travelling in a third-class compartment.Through this exhibition, the Indian Railways brought railway history under one roof as showcased in selected pictures. It provided a unique chance of knowing all about Indian Railways. How the tracks were laid, how the tunnels were made, how the bridges came into being were all presented in alluring pictures. Train services in Hyderabad were introduced in the seventh Nizam tenure.“People of all age groups are coming especially to take a look at the photo exhibition, from all over the State. Tourists who just came to visit the Salarjung Museum were amused and thrilled at the pictures,” said railway officer J Selvin.

Public Relation Officer of South Central railway Shakeel Ahmed said that the exhibition was a hit with the public.

The exhibition is set to move to the other parts of the country — Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Allahabad and Jaipur.

The South Central Railway will run nine special trains - eight between
Secunderabad and Guwahati and one from Aurangabad to Secunderabad to
clear passenger rush.
Secunderabad-Guwahati train will depart from Secunderabad at 7.30 am
on July 26, August 2, 9 and 16 (Fridays) and arrive in Guwahati at
7.55 am on the third day i.e Sundays.
In the return direction, the train will depart from Guwahati at 6 am
on July 29, August 5, 12 and 19 (Mondays) and arrive in Secunderabad
at 9.15 am on Wednesdays. - See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/8686#sthash.TNoYqPaY.dpuf

If you ask me, I would give two on a ten-point scale to this station considering the unhygienic condition here, said Chirag, who had just arrived by the Jammutavi-Delhi-Jaisalmer Express at the Old Delhi Railway Station. This one-and-a-half-century-old station, a part of the Delhi’s cultural heritage, is fast losing its attraction among travellers due to its deplorable condition.The oldest station in Delhi, it was established in 1864 when trains from Howrah started operating up to Delhi. The station is also known as Delhi Junction. The colonial government constructed the present station building in red stone to give it the effect of the nearby Red Fort. The station was opened to public in 1903.Starting out with two platforms and a handful of passengers, the station now handles lakhs of passengers and nearly 200 trains daily. The station was re-modelled in 1934-35 after the opening of the New Delhi Railway Station in 1926 and the inauguration of New Delhi in 1931. Since 1935, the station building was renovated again only last year.But the scenes at the station, even after renovation, hardly evoke positive feelings. Even before one enters the station, the stench of urine punches ones senses. The boundary wall has become a public lavatory with the authorities turning a blind eye to the situation.

Vehicles can be seen entering the no-entry zone. The main entrance gate stands in a mess with sewer water and waste being collected there. Passengers themselves have added to the woes by littering the area — heightening the fear of spread of diseases. Again, the accumulated stagnant water is a perfect breeding ground for malaria and dengue causing mosquitoes.

According to rules, one has to buy a platform ticket to enter the station and luggage is allowed inside only after a thorough check by security personnel. Here, however, there are many loopholes through which people can enter the station premises unchecked, thus raising a question on the security system.

On the way to platforms, one has to cross the over-bridge which is overcrowded with people sitting and some even sleeping there. The information boards on the over-bridge calls it a offence where one can be fined Rs. 200. But it seems that both the lawmakers and breakers are on equal ground as neither of them bother about this mismanagement.

On the steps descending to the platforms from the over-bridge, people with huge luggage occupy most of the space — leaving little space for others to negotiate the crowd. Same is the case on platforms, too. The situation becomes even more chaotic when a train arrives and passengers are in a hurry to either board it or get down.

The open sewer by the railway tracks in another eyesore; it appears that the sewers have not been cleaned for ages. These, again, serve as public lavatories for ignorant passengers. With this amount of littering and dirt, the number of railway cleaning staff appears insufficient to keep the premises clean.

Even the roof of the platform shade has not been spared. Plastic bottles, chips packets, broken biscuits and beverage cans are found thrown here and there, dirtying it and giving out a foul smell.

The only question that comes in mind after surveying the scenario is, what are the authorities doing?

Its unclean premises and the apathetic attitude of railway authorities is robbing Old Delhi Railway Station of its heritage character

Nothing is as intricately linked to our lives as the railways. Indian Railways’ glorious sojourn that completed 160 years was captured in the just-concluded photo exhibition conducted by the South Central Railway at Salarjung museum.The week-long exhibition presented in 215 pictures the varied stages of the exciting journey of the steam engine, the iconic new age machine of transportation the Britishintroduced for its troop movements. From the chug-chug locomotive to the modern trains in a tearing hurry on electrical lines, the machine has transformed itself, serving millions of people every day.Nearly 10,000 footfalls had been recorded at the exhibition. The particular interest to everybody was the famous picture of Mahatma Gandhi travelling in a third-class compartment.Through this exhibition, the Indian Railways brought railway history under one roof as showcased in selected pictures. It provided a unique chance of knowing all about Indian Railways. How the tracks were laid, how the tunnels were made, how the bridges came into being were all presented in alluring pictures. Train services in Hyderabad were introduced in the seventh Nizam tenure.“People of all age groups are coming especially to take a look at the photo exhibition, from all over the State. Tourists who just came to visit the Salarjung Museum were amused and thrilled at the pictures,” said railway officer J Selvin.

Public Relation Officer of South Central railway Shakeel Ahmed said that the exhibition was a hit with the public.

The exhibition is set to move to the other parts of the country — Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Allahabad and Jaipur.

25-07-2013
Secunderabad
Train No. 16351/16352 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express to run via Renigunta

..

South Central Railway will divert Train No. 16351/16352 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express to run via Reniguntawithout touching Tirupati  with effect from the dates mentioned below:-

1)  Train No. 16351 CST Mumbai-Nagercoil Balaji Express will run via Renigunta without touching Tirupati with effect from 03rd September, 2013.

2) Train No. 16352 Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Balaji Express will run via Renigunta without touching Tirupati with effect from 05th September, 2013.

Uncertainty clouds the fund allocation for the construction of a platform at the Kadakkavoor railway station. There appears to be lack of clarity within the Corporation council itself regarding the volume of garbage that the civic body will be transporting to the station.In a bid to iron out these confusions and get the project under way without delay, Corporation health standing committee chairperson S. Pushpalatha met Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali on Wednesday and secured a promise that a meeting would be scheduled with the officials of the Southern Railway later this week to form a clear idea on the funding.Mayor K. Chandrika had earlier submitted a letter to the Minister saying that 3,000 tonnes of garbage would be transported to the railway station for platform construction. But according to an estimate by the Suchitwa Mission, only less than half the amount will be required for construction. The project is estimated to cost around Rs.42 lakh and it will be financially unviable for the civic body to fund the project entirely from its Plan Fund.Moreover, the quantity of garbage required needs to be specified as cost for the project will vary accordingly. The health standing committee says the Corporation cannot shell out the entire amount, and is awaiting a green signal from the government allotting the amount.

Biogas plants

The issue of setting up 62 large biogas plants across the city and allotting the Rs.7 crore required for the project was also raised. The meeting was informed that the Ministry had forwarded the matter to the Suchitwa Mission. A Mission official said the Corporation would have to file a report on the projects implemented the past financial year under the source-based waste management programme. Any balance fund from the fiscal could also be used for the project.

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh has demanded that multilateral funding of Rs 500 crore be provided to the state for the construction of motorable tunnels. Road network is the main source of transportation in the state, and tunnels are the only medium to reduce the distance between places.A demand to this effect was made by the member parliament from Mandi Pratibha Singh who recently met Union finance minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi. During her meeting, Pratibha Singh said that the state government has prepared the DPRs for four tunnels in Shimla town for decongesting traffic from the main roads which experience heavy vehicle rush through out the day.State government has prepared DPRs for construction of motorable tunnels from Lift to Lakkar Bazar (681.25m), Lift to Himfed petrol pump (1134.92m), Himfed petrol pump to IGMC (890m), and Sanjauli to Dhalli (147.61m).She said that private parties are not interested to construct these tunnels under public private partnership (PPP) mode because of lack of financial viability. She requested Chidambram to arrange funding to these tunnels from some multilateral funding agency.She also requested him to arrange funding for tunnels between Chamunda to Holi, Karsehar to Telang and under Jalori Pass to reduce the distance and provide all weather travel facilities to remote and backward areas residents throughout the year.

Pratibha Singh also requested the Union finance ministry to provide funding for upgradation and modernization of Shimla, Kangra and Kullu airports in the state to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft and also night landing facilities to promote tourism in the state. She requested for providing central funding in the ratio of 90:10 for all centrally sponsored schemes in the state on the pattern of northeastern states due to similar topography, geography and other working conditions.

She demanded to declare the Ghanauli--Baddi -Kalka and Amb-Paonta-Dehradun railway lines as project of national importance and provide hundred per cent central funding for the construction of these railway projects. She also requested that construction work on Bhanupalli--Bilaspur--Beri broad gauge railway line should be expedited as per the cost sharing agreement held on august 2007 in PMO in the central state ratio of 75:25 of fixed cost of Rs 1046 crore and requested that the enhancement of the project cost due to delay by railway should be met by providing additionally by finance ministry and Planning Commission.