ProUI

Highly-patronised passenger train being cancelled to run Rath Yatra specials

A popular passenger train is being cancelled from July 6 to 22 to facilitate the running of specials for the annual Rath Yatra in Puri. It’s a fact that lakhs of pilgrims from different parts of the country converge on Puri to participate in the annual festival of Lord Jagannath. But, does it warrant the cancellation of a highly-patronised daily passenger train, being operated by the Waltair Division, and inconvenience thousands of daily commuters?East Coast Railway (ECoR) has announced the cancellation of train no. 58538/58537 Visakhapatnam – Koraput Passenger and train no. 58302/58301 Sambalpur – Koraput Passenger from July 6 to 22 to run special trains for the Rath Yatra.The Visakhapatnam – Koraput runs to full capacity everyday up to Rayagada after which the occupancy decreases between Rayagada and Koraput. While train no.58302/58301 has poor patronage and can be withdrawn to run a special, cancellation of a highly-patronised 58538/58537 is drawing flak from passengers.

All-party members hold meet on the burning issue

The steering committee of all-party, which met here on Tuesday, decided to mount pressure on Lok Sabha member Vundavalli Arun Kumar and MLA Rowthu Suryaprakasha Rao to take up the Havelock bridge issue with the Railway Board in the wake of South Central Railway General Manager D.P. Pandey’s statement that the Railways is ready to dispose of the bridge for Rs. 67 crore.The meeting, chaired by convener Ganni Krishna of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), asked the MP and the MLA to make a statement about the latest developments to allay the apprehensions and doubts in the minds of the people.All the steering committee members, including Meesala Satyanaryana (CPI), Arun (CPI-M), Nalla Ramarao (AICTU), V.V. Ramarao (Lok Satta), M. Jayaprakash (BJP), Nandepu Srinivas (president, Chamber of Commerce) and Ashok Jain (merchants association) expressed their opinion on the latest developments after they met the MP four days ago.CPI district secretary Meesala Satyanarayana said that it was better to meet the MP and ask him to take a delegation to the Railway General Manager and set a deadline on the issue.Mr. Arun said that any thing should be constructive and the public representatives be involved in taking further steps.Mr. Ashok Jain said that nothing would be finalised before 2014 elections and it was the duty of all-party members to keep the tempo of the agitation till that time.

Media support

Stating that media was supporting the agitation, AP Unuion of Working Jjournalists State council member M. Srirammurthy said that the all-party committee should take appropriate steps and steer the agitation in right direction.

The Kanyakumari District Railway Users’ Association has urged the Union Minister for Railway to ensure the continuation of Bangalore-Nagercoil weekly express (16537/38).In a memorandum to Union Minister for Railways, Mallikarjun Kharge, secretary of the association, P. Edward Jeni has said that people in the district were disappointed to hear that the existing weekly service from Nagercoil to Bangalore 16537/16538 via Hosur, Salem, Erode and Madurai may be discontinued. Thousands of people from the southern district were travelling to Bangalore for employment, business and as tourists. A sizeable number of IT professionals working in Bangalore also visit places like Kanyakumari, Madurai and Kovalam during weekends.If this weekly train was extended to Kochuveli (Thiruvanathapuram) and operated on Fridays from Bangalore city instead of Thursdays without change in the return journey through Nagercoil on Saturdays it would be a great boon to tourists and also people living in Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks of Tamil Nadu and Neyyatinkara taluk of Kerala.

“In the history of Indian Railways, rarely has been a train service discontinued. Invariably, the services are extended to cover a larger area. The concerned Zonal Railways should consider retaining this weekly train with extension to Kochuveli”, said Mr. Jeni

He further thanked the introduction of a daily direct train between Nagercoil and Bangalore via Namakkal and Madurai in the 2013-14 Budget.

This genuine need of the people was being realised after a 15-year long wait and therefore it is hoped that the Southern Railway and South Western Railway start this service in right earnest, he added.

MUMBAI: After conducting restoration work on war footing, with the help of more than 50 labourers at the affected site between Aravali Road and Sangameshwar stations in Ratnagiri region, Konkan Railway has restored the railway track at 03:15 hrs and the two affected trains - 12449 Goa Sampark Kranti Express and 16345 Netravati Express - which were delayed for 4 hours, have been restarted.

The heavy rains continue to lash the Konkan region.

The Kanyakumari District Railway Users’ Association has urged the Union Minister for Railway to ensure the continuation of Bangalore-Nagercoil weekly express (16537/38).In a memorandum to Union Minister for Railways, Mallikarjun Kharge, secretary of the association, P. Edward Jeni has said that people in the district were disappointed to hear that the existing weekly service from Nagercoil to Bangalore 16537/16538 via Hosur, Salem, Erode and Madurai may be discontinued. Thousands of people from the southern district were travelling to Bangalore for employment, business and as tourists. A sizeable number of IT professionals working in Bangalore also visit places like Kanyakumari, Madurai and Kovalam during weekends.If this weekly train was extended to Kochuveli (Thiruvanathapuram) and operated on Fridays from Bangalore city instead of Thursdays without change in the return journey through Nagercoil on Saturdays it would be a great boon to tourists and also people living in Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks of Tamil Nadu and Neyyatinkara taluk of Kerala.

“In the history of Indian Railways, rarely has been a train service discontinued. Invariably, the services are extended to cover a larger area. The concerned Zonal Railways should consider retaining this weekly train with extension to Kochuveli”, said Mr. Jeni

He further thanked the introduction of a daily direct train between Nagercoil and Bangalore via Namakkal and Madurai in the 2013-14 Budget.

This genuine need of the people was being realised after a 15-year long wait and therefore it is hoped that the Southern Railway and South Western Railway start this service in right earnest, he added.

Four labourers were killed and six others injured on Wednesday when rails loaded on a goods train fell upon them at Khurai station, Government Railway Police said. The incident occurred as the coupling of one of the waggons of the goods train snapped, following which there was a sudden jerk. The labourers, who were to unload the cargo, were sitting on the rails. The jerk toppled them to ground and they were trapped under the heavy rails which fell off, said Sagar GRP Police Station In-charge L S Kashyap. Dallu Ahirwar (55), Manoj Ahirwar (26), Harinarayan Ahirwar (30) and Damodar Ahirwar (22) were killed, he said. Six other labourers were injured and were admitted to the district hospital for treatment.

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Government has introduced a scheme under which free monthly railway season passes will be provided to construction labourers in the unorganised sector.

Mukhyamantri Nirman Mazdoor Izzat scheme was launched today, keeping in view the challenges faced by labourers, who have to travel all the way from their villages to cities for jobs, Chief Minister Raman Singh said.

Under it, `Labourer Izzat Card' would be provided to such workers, allowing them free travel in trains to reach construction sites.

Singh launched the scheme at a function held at Rajnandgaon, around 80km from here, where free monthly season railway passes were distributed to 523 labourers.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said honouring the hard work of labourers and helping them to live a respectable life is the moral and social duty of any responsible Government.

The travel card will take care of the daily expenses incurred by labourers on railway tickets to reach their job sites, he said.

"Using this monthly railway pass, labourers will be able to travel up to 150km a day free of cost. The scheme will provide a great relief to labourers, especially those who travel frequently from Rajnandgaon to Bhatapara and Godia in Maharashtra."

The Chief Minister also talked about various other welfare schemes launched by the State's BJP Government.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. will operate the Bharat Darshan tourist train from Chennai via Bangalore to Pandrapur, Shirdi, Hyderabad, Puri, Konark, Simhachalam, Kanakadurga Hills, Mantralayam and back.The train will pass through the city on August 1.The cost of the 12-day package tour is Rs. 6,680 per person. This includes sleeper class tickets, accommodation, local sight seeing and food. For details call 22960014/13 or visitwww.railtourismindia.com.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. will operate the Bharat Darshan tourist train from Chennai via Bangalore to Pandrapur, Shirdi, Hyderabad, Puri, Konark, Simhachalam, Kanakadurga Hills, Mantralayam and back.The train will pass through the city on August 1.The cost of the 12-day package tour is Rs. 6,680 per person. This includes sleeper class tickets, accommodation, local sight seeing and food. For details call 22960014/13 or visitwww.railtourismindia.com.

ബജറ്റില്‍ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച പുതിയ വണ്ടികളുടെ സമയവിവരപ്പട്ടിക റെയില്‍വേ പുറത്തിറക്കിയെങ്കിലും ഈ വണ്ടികളുടെ സര്‍വീസ് തുടങ്ങുന്ന കാര്യത്തില്‍ അവ്യക്തത. കോച്ചുകളുടെ ലഭ്യതയും മറ്റും കണക്കിലെടുത്താണ് സര്‍വീസ് തീയതി നിശ്ചയിക്കുക. ഇവ എപ്പോള്‍ ഓടുമെന്ന് പറയാനാവില്ലെന്ന് റെയില്‍വേ വൃത്തങ്ങള്‍ പറഞ്ഞു.

ഡല്‍ഹിയില്‍നിന്ന് കേരളത്തിലേക്ക് പുതുതായി അനുവദിച്ച നിസാമുദ്ദീന്‍-തിരുവനന്തപുരം പ്രതിവാര എക്‌സ്​പ്രസ് കൊങ്കണ്‍വഴിയാവും സര്‍വീസ് നടത്തുക. മുംബൈയില്‍നിന്ന് കൊങ്കണ്‍വഴി കേരളത്തിലേക്ക് പുതിയ വണ്ടി ഉണ്ടാവും. കൊച്ചുവേളി-ലോക്മാന്യതിലക് എക്‌സ്​പ്രസ്സാണിത്. ആഴ്ചയില്‍ രണ്ടുദിവസം സര്‍വീസ് നടത്തും.

നിസാമുദ്ദീന്‍-തിരുവനന്തപുരം എക്‌സ്​പ്രസ് വെള്ളിയാഴ്ച രാത്രി 11.40-ന് നിസാമുദ്ദീനില്‍നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ട് തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പുലര്‍ച്ചെ 3.10-ന് തിരുവനന്തപുരത്തെത്തും. ബുധനാഴ്ച ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് 2.40-ന് തിരുവനന്തപുരത്തുനിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ട് വെള്ളിയാഴ്ച ഉച്ചകഴിഞ്ഞ് 2.20-ന് നിസാമുദ്ദീനിലെത്തും.

മംഗലാപുരത്തുനിന്ന് പാലക്കാടുവഴി രണ്ട് എക്‌സ്​പ്രസ് വണ്ടികളും ബജറ്റില്‍ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചിരുന്നു. യശ്വന്ത്പുരിലേക്കുള്ള പ്രതിവാരവണ്ടിയും കാച്ചെഗുഡയിലേക്കുള്ള (ഹൈദരാബാദ്) പ്രതിവാര വണ്ടിയുമാണവ.