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CHENNAI: After media outcry and public resentment over Southern Railway's proposed move to raze the Royapuram railway station, a public interest petition against the move has been filed in the Madras high court. A division bench before which the PIL filed by advocate S Sathya Chandran came up for admission issued notices to the CMDA and Southern Railway. It adjourned the matter to two weeks for further hearing.

In his petition, Sathya Chandran relied on media reports dated June 22, claiming that Southern Railway had approached the state Heritage Conservation Committee, requesting the latter's permission for removal of the Royapuram railway state from the list of heritage buildings so as to enable them to undertake 'development projects' at the site.

The advocate said that though small, the Royapuram station building was of historic importance as it was the oldest in the entire Indian sub-continent. The petitioner added that in a list prepared by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority the Royapuram station has been described as grade-1 heritage structure.

He wanted the court to restrain the railway and CMDA from demolishing the structure.

NF Rly exam centre demanded at Barak Valley
Correspondent
BADARPUR, July 23 – The Democratic Youth Front of India (DYFI) has demanded a separate NF Railway examination centre and a recruitment cell at the Barak Valley.
At a sit-in demonstration in the Karimganj Railway Station recently, DYFI leaders alleged that local unemployed youths are being deprived by the Railway authorities. Candidates of the Barak Valley, who sit for Railway examinations in Guwahati, face a lot of harassment, they added. Therefore, the DYFI has decided to start a movement against the ‘unfair treatment’ by the Railways.

All-India leader and Tripura State DYFI president, Tapash Dutta alleged that the Railways have no specific principle for employment. The NF Railway is cheating candidates of the Barak Valley intentionally, which cannot be tolerated. Railway job aspirants from the Barak Valley, who go to Guwahati, face mental, physical and financial harassments, he alleged. The Railway authorities should immediately set up a separate examination centre and a recruitment cell at the Barak Valley to address this problem.

The DYFI also demanded the fulfilment of other demands including speedy completion of the BG construction works on the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section to Silchar, early completion of the Badarpur-Agartala BG extension works and filling up of the vacant posts, especially in third and fourth-grade posts, by giving preference to local candidates from the Barak Valley.

Dutta also came down heavily on the State and Central Governments on the issue of BG line in the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section. He said that a meeting was held between the NF Railway authorities and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar regarding the BG line issue recently. The Tripura Chief Minister stressed on the speedy completion of the BG construction works from Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section to Silchar. In the meeting, the NF Railway authorities assured Sarkar that the works would be completed by 2015. But the progress achieved so far indicates that there is not even a remote possibility that all the construction works could be completed by 2015, Dutta added.

Expressing serious concern over the slow progress of the works on the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section BG conversion work, the DYFI leader said that the Central Government does not have the political will necessary for the completion of the BG works as soon as possible. He said, though the Central Government has already categorised this project as a ‘national project,’ it has not sanctioned sufficient money for the project. Due to the scarcity of funds, the construction works are not progressing at the desired pace which is regrettable, Dutta said.

Dutta directly blamed all the MLAs, MPs and ministers of the Barak Valley for not taking keen interest in the BG works. The DYFI leader alleged that these MLAs, MPs and ministers from the Barak Valley have always remained silent. They do not want to raise any sort of question in the Assembly or in the Parliament, as a result of which the Barak Valley BG construction works are progressing very slowly. So, in the greater interest of the Barak Valley and Tripura, a joint movement is going to be launched from August 7 at the Maligaon NF Railway Headquarters, he said.

India's longest bridge coming up across the mighty Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Assam is not only expected to be a lifeline for the Northeast, but will also strengthen the country's security.

Scheduled to be completed in 2016, the 4.94 km rail-cum-road bridge, a product of the 1985 Assam Accord and being implemented by the North East Frontier Railway, will provide connectivity to upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and cut down the distance to the border with China by 10 hours.

Railway officials said that the rail link would connect two existing railway networks running at south bank and north bank of the river.

It starts from Chaulkhowa station and Moranhat station at south bank and joins in between Sisibargaon station and Siripani station of Rangiya-Murkongselek section in north bank.

Right now it takes one and a half hours to cross the river, but once the bridge is inaugurated, the travel time will be reduced to a few minutes.

Besides, movement of goods will also be possible on a larger scale.

Railway officials said the bridge would strengthen national security by way of truncating distance to reach the China border during movement of troops and supplies.

But not all are happy. As the completion of the bridge draws near, over 100 boatmen families are spending sleepless nights over fear that it will jeopardise their sources of income.

For Munna Singh, Brojen Doley, Rajesh Chowdhury and other majhis, it will be tough finding an alternative means of livelihood inheriting their profession from generations far into the past.

"I don’t know what to do ....the fear of closing my ferry service always haunts me. How will I manage a regular income?" Munna Singh, who owns two country boats and is presently earning around Rs 15,000 per month, despairs.

Similar is the condition of Brojen Doley who owns a boat that ferries private vehicles of people from Arunachal Pradesh.

ITANAGAR: India's longest bridge coming up across the mighty Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Assam is not only expected to be a lifeline for the Northeast, but will also strengthen the country's security.Scheduled to be completed in 2016, the 4.94 km rail-cum-road bridge, a product of the 1985 Assam Accord and being implemented by the North East Frontier Railway, will provide connectivity to upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and cut down the distance to the border with China by 10 hours.Railway officials said that the rail link would connect two existing railway networks running at south bank and north bank of the river.It starts from Chaulkhowa station and Moranhat station at south bank and joins in between Sisibargaon station and Siripani station of Rangiya-Murkongselek section in north bank.Right now it takes one and a half hours to cross the river, but once the bridge is inaugurated, the travel time will be reduced to a few minutes.Besides, movement of goods will also be possible on a larger scale.Railway officials said the bridge would strengthen national security by way of truncating distance to reach the China border during movement of troops and supplies.But not all are happy. As the completion of the bridge draws near, over 100 boatmen families are spending sleepless nights over fear that it will jeopardise their sources of income.

For Munna Singh, Brojen Doley, Rajesh Chowdhury and other majhis, it will be tough finding an alternative means of livelihood inheriting their profession from generations far into the past.

"I don't know what to do ....the fear of closing my ferry service always haunts me. How will I manage a regular income?" Munna Singh, who owns two country boats and is presently earning around Rs 15,000 per month, despairs.

Similar is the condition of Brojen Doley who owns a boat that ferries private vehicles of people from Arunachal Pradesh.

"I have no permit of the Inland Water Transport department of Assam to ferry passengers. I only managed a permit to ferry vehicles for only once a day, enabling me to earn a paltry amount," Doley said.

However, the chief engineer of the bridge project, Ajit Pandit, said that the boatmen's fear was unfounded.

"Even after the bridge is complete the ferry service will not be discontinued because there are many local people who will prefer river route to the land route in order to shorten distances to their homes," Pandit explained.

Besides, he said, once the bridge is complete, the economy of the area will improve and employment avenues will be created for the local people.

Pandit said the bridge, situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh city, would be the lifeline of the Northeast by opening connectivity between the north and south of the Brahmaputra river in the eastern region of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The border of Arunachal Pradesh is just over 20 km from the northern bank.

The foundation of the bridge was laid in 2002 and the project was supposed to be completed in six years, but lack of funds and attention kept it idle till 2007 when it was given national status.

The national status meant that the Union Finance Ministry provided 75 per cent funds for the project, while 25 per cent was to be borne by the Railways.

Pandit said that besides funds, rains also proved a big stumbling block.

"In the city of Dibrugarh in Assam, it rains eight months a year. So any construction activity, especially on the Brahmaputra River, is a challenge," he explained.

Practically, his team gets to work for only four months in a year - from November to March.

The project flows from the Assam Accord signed in August 15, 1985, between the centre and the representatives of the All Assam Students Union and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad that had spearheaded a decade-long movement against the influx of Bangladeshis into the northeastern state.

Talking to PTI at the project site, Pandit admitted to cost escalation as well. "The rise in the cost of cement and steel are also factors responsible for the cost escalation."

The construction work of the sub-structure of the bridge was awarded to Gammon India in April, 2008 while the work on the superstructure was awarded partially to Hindustan Construction Company, DSD, a German company, and Bangalore- based VNR.

CHENNAI: After media outcry and public resentment over Southern Railway's proposed move to raze the Royapuram railway station, a public interest petition against the move has been filed in the Madras high court. A division bench before which the PIL filed by advocate S Sathya Chandran came up for admission issued notices to the CMDA and Southern Railway. It adjourned the matter to two weeks for further hearing.

In his petition, Sathya Chandran relied on media reports dated June 22, claiming that Southern Railway had approached the state Heritage Conservation Committee, requesting the latter's permission for removal of the Royapuram railway state from the list of heritage buildings so as to enable them to undertake 'development projects' at the site.

The advocate said that though small, the Royapuram station building was of historic importance as it was the oldest in the entire Indian sub-continent. The petitioner added that in a list prepared by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority the Royapuram station has been described as grade-1 heritage structure.

He wanted the court to restrain the railway and CMDA from demolishing the structure.

Heavy rains on Wednesday lashed Mumbai, Konkan and other areas of Maharashtra, prompting the civic agency in the financial capital to advise people to stay at home and schools to shut as a precautionary measure.Rail and road traffic was also disrupted due to the heavy rains which have disrupted normal life in the metropolis.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today advised people not to undertake travel in the city unless essential. The civic body has also asked schools to shut following heavy rains as a precautionary measure.The Met department has predicted more heavy rains in Mumbai and other areas in the next 48 hours.BMC said that in Mumbai, a high tide is expected this afternoon with forecast of 4.9 metre high waves.Several low-lying areas in the city were inundated after the incessant heavy rains. Many private schools were shut and the authorities of some schools have also asked parents to collect those children, who had already left home for school.Trains on Western, Central and Harbour lines were running late.Till 8 am (since Tuesday), Colaba recorded a rainfall of 158.6 mm and Santacruz 168 mm.

HYDERABAD : 
Hyderabad Metro Rail plans to intensify plantation and tree relocation drive during the monsoon.Following good response to the mass plantation programme of the metro under Vana Deeksha and Vana Prasadam schemes last year, plantation activity is being undertaken this year again, NVS Reddy, Managing Director of HMR said.About 60,000 saplings were planted last year in the city mainly on the campuses of educational institutions, research institutes, along the roads and in residential colonies. The survival rate is about 98 per cent. And about 700 trees were translocated with 100 per cent survival rate.A new feature in the current year is planting of some tall trees (about 15 feet) along the service roads and in colonies. Plants of religious significance like Ravi (Peepal), Medi (Cluster Fig), Marri (Banyan), Jammi (Bulrush), Christmas tree, Thuja, Sarvi (Casurina), Pogada (Mimusops), Kanuga (Pongamia) etc., are also being planted in places of worship having vacant space.

Under Vana Prasadam scheme, limited number of plants are being distributed free of cost at Metro Rail Bhavan to individuals, organisations and resident welfare associations.

On popular demand especially from women and senior citizens fruit bearing varieties like Usiri (Amla), Jama (Guava), Sapota (Chickoo), Panasa (Jackfruit), Nimma (Lime), Mango and flowering plants like Ganneru (Nerium), Mandara (hibiscus), Nandivardhanam (Moonbeam), Patcha Ganneru (Tecoma) etc., are also being distributed, Reddy said in a statement.

Mumbai: Heavy rain coinciding with high tide threw life in Mumbai out of gear with low-lying areas getting flooded across the city. Road and rail traffic were also affected due to heavy water-logging. “We have advised people against venturing out unless absolutely necessary. Relief and rescue personnel are on standby,” said an official of the Maharashtra Government’s disaster management cell late afternoon.The weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain over the next 72 hours. Apart from Mumbai, Konkan and Marathwada will receive very heavy rain, they say.Train services on both Central and Western railways were affected as most trains ran late by 30 minutes. The Harbour line on the Central Railway was the worst hit with several trains being suspended for the day.The police said roads in different parts of the city were closed to traffic because of flooding. High tides at 12.43 pm forced the civic authorities to shut drainage pipes that carry storm water into the sea.

Heavy rains on Wednesday lashed Mumbai, Konkan and other areas of Maharashtra, prompting the civic agency in the financial capital to advise people to stay at home and schools to shut as a precautionary measure.Rail and road traffic was also disrupted due to the heavy rains which have disrupted normal life in the metropolis.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today advised people not to undertake travel in the city unless essential. The civic body has also asked schools to shut following heavy rains as a precautionary measure.The Met department has predicted more heavy rains in Mumbai and other areas in the next 48 hours.BMC said that in Mumbai, a high tide is expected this afternoon with forecast of 4.9 metre high waves.Several low-lying areas in the city were inundated after the incessant heavy rains. Many private schools were shut and the authorities of some schools have also asked parents to collect those children, who had already left home for school.Trains on Western, Central and Harbour lines were running late.Till 8 am (since Tuesday), Colaba recorded a rainfall of 158.6 mm and Santacruz 168 mm.