ProUI

The District Chamber of Trade and Commerce has urged the Southern Railway to operate passenger train between Karur and Dindigul to facilitate thousands of workers commuting to the two industrial towns from destinations en route.

Chamber president K. Raju has said in a statement that already the authorities have been apprised of the demand that would serve both the industries, hampered by shortage of manpower, and the thousands of workers who were always in search of livelihood resources.

A lot of workers from Guziliamparai, Palayam, Gudalur and Velliyanai commute to Karur and Dindigul and would be better served if a pair of passenger services were operated especially during rush hours. – Staff Reporter

They have been withdrawn from Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Milavittan

In a move to offset manpower shortage in other operational areas, the Railways has decided to withdraw station masters from Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Milavittan stations.Orders to this effect have been issued by the office of the Senior Divisional Operations Manager, Madurai. The move has been denounced by the All India Station Masters Association (AISMA).Says S.Balasubramanian, secretary, AISMA: “The order is in violation of working rules and the operating manual of the Indian Railways. The absence of station masters will badly affect the efficiency of train operations and make the Railways unsafe.”However, Divisional Railway Manager A.K.Rastogi, when contacted, said that arrangements had been made to carry out the platform duties that were performed by the station masters.The duties of a station master include informing passengers about train movements, looking into complaints with regard to amenities at the station and arranging medical assistance when the need arises. The station masters also resolve crisis situations involving theft or any untoward incident. VIP passengers fall within their purview as well. Small stations such as Thirumangalam have a single station master, whereas Madurai junction has three or four.There are 800 vacancies in the station master cadre in the Southern Railway, and 149 of them are in the Madurai Division.In 2010, AISMA called a strike demanding the filling of the vacancies, but it was called off following an agreement signed between AISMA and the railway administration before the Central Labour Commissioner, Chennai Region. But the railway authorities failed to follow through on the terms of the agreement, AISMA claimed.Virudhunagar has five platforms servicing over 50 trains a day.

नागपूर

विदर्भात मुसळधार पावसामुळे जनजीवन विस्कळीत झालं असून रेल्वेलाही मोठा फटका बसला आहे. नागपूरजवळ पावसाच्या पाण्यामुळे रेल्वे रूळाखालील माती वाहून गेल्याने मुंबईसह दक्षिणेकडे जाणारी वाहतूक ठप्प झाली आहे. यामुळे रेल्वेने काही एक्स्प्रेस गाड्या रद्द केल्या आहेत. तर काही गाड्या पर्यायी मार्गाने वळविण्यात आल्या आहेत.

नागपूर - वर्धा मार्गावर सिंदी आणि तुळजापूर-दहेगाव रेल्वे स्थानकांदरम्यान रूळाखालची माती वाहून गेली आहे. त्यामुळे या मार्गावरची रेल्वे वाहतूक थांबवण्यात आली आहे. यामुळे मध्य रेल्वेने काही गाड्या रद्द केल्या आहेत. तर काही गाड्या पर्यायी मार्गाने वळवल्या आल्याचे मध्य रेल्वेच्या सूत्रांनी सांगितले. नवी दिल्ली-चेन्नई मार्गावरील गाड्या इटारसी-खंडवा-भुसावळ मार्गे वळविण्यात आल्या आहेत. तर नागपूरहून सुटणाऱ्या ११ गाड्या रद्द केल्या आहेत.

रद्द केलेल्या गाड्या नागपूर - मुंबई दुरांतो एक्स्प्रेस नागपूर - मुंबई सेवाग्राम एक्स्प्रेस अमरावती-नागपूर इंटरसिटी एक्स्प्रेस तसेच पॅसेंजर पुणे - नागपूर एक्स्प्रेस

मुंबईहून नागपूरला जाणाऱ्या खालील गाड्या रद्द मुंबई - नागपूर सेवाग्राम एक्स्प्रेस मुंबई - नांदेड व्हाया नागपूर नंदीग्राम एक्स्प्रेस मुंबई - नागपूर दुरांते एक्स्प्रेस

AHMEDABAD: A Gujarat government decision allowing railway tracks within 700 metres of Thol bird sanctuary has ruffled many feathers.

The state forest department has recently approved a proposal to allow tracks for a dedicated freight corridor, a move environment activists say will disturb the safe haven for winged visitors that throng the lake from across the globe.

Officials say the decision is a violation of Supreme Court order and a notification of Union ministry of forests and environment. As per a SC judgment, no new infrastructure projects can be allowed within 10 km of a sanctuary till the state government earmarks an eco-sensitive zone.

The state government has in-principle decided to have an area of 2 km around the sanctuary marked as eco-sensitive zone. Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Corporation of India has undertaken the project to create additional rail infrastructure to provide an efficient, cost-effective transport system. The DFC will significantly reduce freight costs and with the shifting of freight trains on DFC it would generate line capacity for additional passenger trains.

A member of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) Prerna Bindra has in her report pointed out that the land use around Thol is changing rapidly with large residential and commercial complexes coming up in the vicinity. Bindra has suggested that eco-sensitive zone under the Environment Protection Act must be demarcated for the sanctuary prior to sanctioning the project.

A study commissioned by NBWL was carried out recently to gauge the nature of threat and disturbance that the project might cause to the birds in Thol. Every year the sanctuary hosts cranes, geese, flamingos, pelicans, egrets, herons, spoonbills, ducks and whistling teals.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) will launch two special rail tour packages during the Onam season. The first package is to Kashmir and the other to Himachal Pradesh (Shimla- Kullu-Manali).

According to the IRCTC, it is for the first time that they are launching such trains from Kerala to these places and an exclusive train consisting of both Sleeper Class and 3A Class along with pantry car will be launched for the purpose.

Both the 15 day tour plans offer four specially designed packages – budget, standard, comfort and deluxe. These packages also cover Agra, Delhi, and Amritsar.

“These packages are specially designed keeping in mind travelers who wish to avail of LTC tours during Onam holidays,” said an IRCTC official.

The Kashmir Valley tour package is priced Rs.24,410 per person, while it is Rs.26,520 per person for Shimla-Kullu-Manali tour. The price is all inclusive, said the IRCTC officials.

The package includes non-AC sleeper or 3AC rail tickets, AC/Non-AC accommodation, transportation for sight-seeing, on board and off-board catering service (vegetarian food), travel insurance and services of full-time tour escorts and security on-board. Along with the special Onam package.

Its Tirupati tour is priced at Rs 4,635, while Velankanni tour package comes at Rs.3,145 and for Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, it is Rs.4,255.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) will launch two special rail tour packages during the Onam season. The first package is to Kashmir and the other to Himachal Pradesh (Shimla- Kullu-Manali).

According to the IRCTC, it is for the first time that they are launching such trains from Kerala to these places and an exclusive train consisting of both Sleeper Class and 3A Class along with pantry car will be launched for the purpose.

Both the 15 day tour plans offer four specially designed packages – budget, standard, comfort and deluxe. These packages also cover Agra, Delhi, and Amritsar.

“These packages are specially designed keeping in mind travelers who wish to avail of LTC tours during Onam holidays,” said an IRCTC official.

The Kashmir Valley tour package is priced Rs.24,410 per person, while it is Rs.26,520 per person for Shimla-Kullu-Manali tour. The price is all inclusive, said the IRCTC officials.

The package includes non-AC sleeper or 3AC rail tickets, AC/Non-AC accommodation, transportation for sight-seeing, on board and off-board catering service (vegetarian food), travel insurance and services of full-time tour escorts and security on-board. Along with the special Onam package.

Its Tirupati tour is priced at Rs 4,635, while Velankanni tour package comes at Rs.3,145 and for Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, it is Rs.4,255.

In view of heavy rush of devotees and visitors to Puri to witness the Sunavesha of three deities of Jagannath temple in Puri, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has announced special trains from different parts of the State and outside to the pilgrim city on Friday.

The special trains would run from Bhadrak, Palasa, Cuttack, Berhampur, Keonjhar, Balangir, Bhawanipatna and Visakhapatnam. Palasa-Bhubaneswar passenger train will be diverted to Puri from Khurda Road and will remain cancelled between Khurda Road to Bhubaneswar.

Bhubaneswar-Khalikote passenger, Bhubaneswar-Palasa passenger, Puri-Khurda Road passenger and Bhubaneswar-Kendujhar Road passenger will be cancelled for the special train arrangements.ENS

General Manager (GM) of South Eastern Railway Zone, GC Agarwal, who was in Ranchi on Friday informed that much awaited Ranchi-Tori Railway Line would be completed by December 2014.Earlier, as per the media report the line was to be opened and commissioned this year itself. The GM however said that the Railway had never announced the dateline earlier. “We have got to build two railway bridges before to complete the railway line. Maoists used to disturb our construction efforts when we tried to make the infrastructure. But now the DGP has assured us to set up police station in the area. This would help us in taking the infrastructure project at much faster rate now,” the GM said.The GM also directed the local railway officials to add an extra railway coach in the train that ply in Ranchi- Lohardagga railway line for elderly and women. On many of the media queries the GM refrained from giving direct answers saying he was new to the area and therefore he had not much idea about the region.

Shimoga-Talaguppa Broad Gauge Horata Samiti has decided to pressure the Ministry of Railway to link Talaguppa in Shimoga district and Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district at the earliest.S.G. Kumaraswamy, Joint Secretary of the Samiti, told The Hindu on Friday that a meeting of the Samiti was held in Sagar on Thursday to discuss the issue.He said that, district would be connected to the Konkan railway after the execution of this project. Ministry of Railways had sanctioned administrative approval for the project to connect Talaguppa and Honnavar and had commissioned a survey in this regard. The project is yet to get clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest.The meeting decided to press the Ministry of Railway to construct more tunnels along the proposed line to minimise damaging the forest, he said.The people of Shimoga and Uttara Kannada districts will benefit from the project. It will ensure easy access to Mumbai for people of Shimoga district while the travel distance to Bangalore will be reduced for the people of Uttara Kannada district, he said. The meeting also decided to press the Ministry of Railway to introduce passenger train service between Shimoga and Talaguppa as announced in the railway budget and to upgrade the amenities at Sagar railway station. Writer Na. D’Souza, honorary president of the Samiti, other functionaries were present.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today asked the Railway Ministry to expedite implementation of pending rail projects in the state to improve connectivity and spur economic growth.

In a meeting with Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Sarkar sought immediate release of funds for laying of new tracks between Agartala and Sabroom and the Lumding-Silchar- Agartala gauge conversion project.

He also asked the Railway Minister to ensure expeditious implementation of the project to link Agartala with Akhaura in neighbouring Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh had signed a MoU on May 21 for the project. Of the 15.054 km railway track, only 5 km fall in Indian side and the rest is in Bangladesh.

During Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in January 2010, the two countries had agreed to lay the tracks between Akhaura and Agartala.

Sarkar told Kharge that Bangladesh government had already started the land acquisition process while the same was yet to start on the Indian side.

He also demanded setting up of a Railway division office in Tripura.

Tripura government officials said Kharge told Sarkar that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would soon hold a meeting with his ministry to take stock of implementation of various key railway projects.

Acting chairman of Railway Board Arunendra Kumar, who was also present in the meeting, said the ministry was working on the Agartala-Akhaura Railway link project.