ProUI

Kochi: If you are travelling by car through the main junctions in the coming days, don’t be surprised if surveyors approach you seeking details like the starting point of your journey and the destination or whether you would take the Metro and the like.The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has entrusted an agency Wilbur Smith Associates, to conduct a survey to find out the travelling needs of the public and the areas to which the maximum number of commuters travel. For this, the KMRL has sought the assistance of the Kochi traffic police.“The metro agency has sought our assistance for the ridership survey and we have agreed. Currently, point-to-point survey has begun at major junctions like Vytilla,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (traffic east) P.P. Shams.Through the exercise, the agency plans to find out whether those using four-wheelers now would shift to Metro. “I was asked whether I would travel by Metro or whether I would use the parking facility and the usual points of my travel.This was when I was waiting at the Vytilla traffic signal. For me, Metro will be a solution to most of our travelling woes and save a good amount that we currently spent on fuel,” said Vinod Kumar K.S. from the city.Another crucial objective of the exercise might be to find out the areas where the Metro is to be extended in the next phase. Besides, there has been an assurance that the Metro will be extended to Tripunithura in the first phase itself. Political leaders have demanded that the Metro be extended to areas like Mulanthuruthy, Cherthala, West Kochi, Kakkanad and Nedumbassery.

Udupi : Udupi Railway Passengers Association 11th annual meeting was held under the leadership of President RL Dias at the Consumer Form office, Udupi recently.During the meeting several issues relating to railways were discussed and they decided to implement the plans as soon as possible.On this occasion KR Manja vice president of association, representatives like K Damodhar Ithal, K Ramanchandra Acharya, John Rebello and Shekhar Kotian were present on this occasion.

New Delhi, June 15 (PTI) Rajasthan is set to get various rail projects, including a broad gauge line connecting holy city Nathdwara and a Shatabdi-like train between Jaipur and Udaipur.

"Nathdwara city is a holy place where lakhs of pilgrims visit every year. Since the nearest station Mandiana is 11 km away from the city, we have decided to connect the holy city with the construction of a broad gauge line," Railway Minister C P Joshi told PTI.

Kochi: If you are travelling by car through the main junctions in the coming days, don’t be surprised if surveyors approach you seeking details like the starting point of your journey and the destination or whether you would take the Metro and the like.The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has entrusted an agency Wilbur Smith Associates, to conduct a survey to find out the travelling needs of the public and the areas to which the maximum number of commuters travel. For this, the KMRL has sought the assistance of the Kochi traffic police.“The metro agency has sought our assistance for the ridership survey and we have agreed. Currently, point-to-point survey has begun at major junctions like Vytilla,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (traffic east) P.P. Shams.Through the exercise, the agency plans to find out whether those using four-wheelers now would shift to Metro. “I was asked whether I would travel by Metro or whether I would use the parking facility and the usual points of my travel.This was when I was waiting at the Vytilla traffic signal. For me, Metro will be a solution to most of our travelling woes and save a good amount that we currently spent on fuel,” said Vinod Kumar K.S. from the city.Another crucial objective of the exercise might be to find out the areas where the Metro is to be extended in the next phase. Besides, there has been an assurance that the Metro will be extended to Tripunithura in the first phase itself. Political leaders have demanded that the Metro be extended to areas like Mulanthuruthy, Cherthala, West Kochi, Kakkanad and Nedumbassery.

Bengaluru: This is one date Namma Metro is not going to keep. A month-long extension on the July deadline for launching commercial operations between Malleswaram and Peenya, therefore, hardly comes as a surprise.

B.L.Y. Chavan, chief public relations officer and chief electrical engineer (RS) of BMRCL said trials are on and certain clearances are required before commercial operations can begin. Since other agencies are involved, the BMRCL can only throw the line open by the end of August.

Approval must be taken from the Research Designs and Standards Orga­nisation (RDSO) for oscillation trials. Speed trials have commenced on the 10.43 km line between Sampige Road and Peenya depot. When the trials are complete, BMRCL needs clearance from RDSO and a certification from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).

“We have been in constant touch with the RDSO over the commencement of the oscillation trials. We will be able to start kicstart the trials as soon as we get  their approval,” Chavan said. The runs are being extended to cover the entire 10.43 km in a phased manner, with Reach 3A expected to be ready for trial runs by December. The objective of the trial runs is to check the entire system including the main line, power supply from the third rail, and computer based signalling system.

NEW DELHI :   Rajasthan is set to get various rail projects, including a broad gauge line connecting holy city Nathdwara and a Shatabdi-like train between Jaipur and Udaipur.“Nathdwara city is a holy place where lakhs of pilgrims visit every year. Since the nearest station Mandiana is 11 km away from the city, we have decided to connect the holy city with the construction of a broad gauge line,” Railway Minister C P Joshi told PTI.Nathdwara is famous for its 17th century Lord Krishna temple which houses the idol of Shrinathji — the seven-year-old incarnation of Krishna.Currently, pilgrims travel to the temple by road from Mandiana station which is 11 km away from the town. “A primary alignment has been identified to connect the temple town and a detailed survey will be undertaken soon to lay the broad gauge line. There will be a modern station at Nathdwara town,” he said.In order to facilitate faster mode of transport between Udaipur and Jaipur, Joshi said there will be a Shatabdi-like train for the two tourist destinations. “A decision has been taken to run Shatabdi-like train between Udaipur and Jaipur shortly.”Joshi has also sanctioned Rs 212.23 crore for conversion of 62 km-long narrow gauge line to broad gauge between Dholpur and Sarmathura. “The broad gauge line will be extended upto Gangapur city,” he said.The Rail Budget had announced for setting up a Rs 800 crore coach factory in Bhilwara, the Lok Sabha constituency of Joshi.Railways have signed an agreement with Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd for setting up the coach factory and the state is providing land for it, Joshi said.

BJP workers blocking the Janshatabdi Express at the Kozhikode railway station on Friday to protest against the alleged unhygienic food preparations on the train.

HYDERABAD: The day-long Telangana shutdown called by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to condemn arrests during Friday's march to seek separate Telangana state evoked partial response in the region on Saturday.The normal life was affected in five districts but there was not much impact in other districts including Hyderabad.Educational institutions were closed across the region, which comprises 10 districts. Shops and business establishments were closed in several parts of Warangal, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts.The state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) was running partial services in the region. Its city services in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were running as usual but most of the buses leaving for Telangana districts were cancelled due to lack of passengers.Police arrested several TRS leaders and activists at various places in the region when they staged a sit-in outside the APSRTC depots since early morning to stop buses from coming out.TRS legislator Harish Rao and his supporters were arrested outside the depot at Siddipet in Medak district. The police kept some legislators and leaders under house arrest.
All trains in the region are running as per the schedule, said South Central Railway.

Unidentified people set afire a bus and damaged window panes of another bus in Mahabubnagar district on Friday night.

TRS has called for the shutdown to protest what it call repressive measures of the government to foil 'chalo assembly' called by Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) to press the demand for separate state.

Hundreds of people were arrested by police in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana on Friday.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India and other constituents of JAC are not supporting the shutdown call. They said TRS took a unilateral decision.

The railways’ decision to do away with 40 posts of station masters in the Thiruvananthapuram division has kicked up a storm in various quarters. According to recognised trade unions, the division is already reeling under acute shortage of station masters.

“There is a deficit of 70 station master posts in the division. Many posts are lying vacant as a lot of station masters have retired and the division has failed to make new appointments. Such decisions have been taken to favour senior officials,” Southern Railways Mazdoor Union (SRMU) members alleged. The order to scrap the posts was passed on Thursday. According to the members, a few years ago, the railways had sanctioned the move to increase posts keeping in mind the need for station masters in the railways. Station masters said due to inadequate employees in some stations, a station master sometimes has to work for 48 hours at a stretch. “Tasks like issue of tickets and controlling the station along with manning the trains fall on the station masters in some stations,” SRMU divisional president P Unnikrishnan said. Recently, the planning branch section of the railways at the headquarters level had conducted a study to survey the situation. They had to identify necessary and redundant posts. “We have learned that the study was conducted in 28 stations across the country. Of this, only two or three small stations in Kerala were surveyed. To decide that the post of a station master is not mandatory in a state like Kerala is bogus. They have not looked at the larger picture,” Unnikrishnan said.

The unions put the blame on the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). “He has the power to recommend axing of posts or appointments. But he is not willing to do so for his own selfish reasons,” the members alleged. On Friday, the SRMU along with the Station Masters Council and the All- India Station Masters Association staged a strike in front of the station masters’ office at the Ernakulam junction station. Unnikrishnan has threatened of agitations if the authorities take major decisions like scrapping away of station masters’ posts without consulting recognised trade unions of the division.

जालंधर। रेलवे बोर्ड ने अपने यात्रियों को चिप्स कंपनियों से लूटने नहीं देगी। इस बात का अंदाजा लगाया जा सकता है कि रेलवे बोर्ड ने अपने नए आदेश के तहत नार्दर्न रेलवे के सभी स्टेशनों के स्टाल पर शर्त के अनुसार की स्नैक्स बेचने का आदेश किया है। इस नए आदेश के तहत कुछ चिप्स कंपनियां उल्लंघन करती हुई पाई गई। जिसके चलते सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन के कामर्शियल विभाग के अधिकारियों ने स्टाल संचालकों को नोटिस जारी करके शर्त के विरुद्ध चिप्स बेचने को बंद करने का मना किया है। इस पर स्टाल संचालकों ने पुराने स्टाक को खत्म करने की मोहलत मांगी है। फिलहाल सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन का कोई भी स्टाल संचालक चिप्स का नया माल नहीं मांगा रहा है।

रेलवे ने वर्ष 2011 के रेट लिस्ट के अनुसार कोई भी स्नैक्स जो 30 ग्राम के पैकेट में होगा उसकी कीमत दस रुपए से अधिक नहीं होगी। कंपनियां से इससे बचने के लिए मात्रा में मात्र 1 ग्राम की बढ़ोत्तरी करते हुए कीमत में पांच रुपए की बढ़ोत्तरी कर दी। इस पर रेलवे विभाग के किसी अधिकारी की कोई नजर नहीं गई। वर्ष 2011 से चिप्स की बिक्री इसी आधार पर चल रही है। इससे दो साल से लगातार रेलवे यात्रियों का लूटा जा रहा है। इसके अलावा दस ग्राम के पैकेट पांच रुपए में बेचने की शर्त है। जिसमें कंपनियां नियमों का पालन कर रही है। सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन के स्टाल संचालक का कहना है कि इस संबंध में कंपनियों को सूचित कर दिया गया है। यदि कंपनियां रेलवे की शर्तों के अनुसार चिप्स के पैकेट उपलब्ध कराती है तो स्टाल पर रखा जाएगा, नहीं तो बंद कर दिया जाएगा।

दो साल में 7 लाख 20 हजार रुपए की लग चुकी है यात्रियों को चपत चिप्स कंपनियों ने दो साल के भीतर रेल यात्रियों को 7 लाख 20 रुपए की चपत केवल सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन पर ही लगा चुकी है। सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन पर प्रतिदिन 1000 की संख्या में चिप्स के पैकेट बिक जाते है। कंपनी रेलवे के शर्त का उल्लंघन करके एक पैकेट पर यात्रियों की सीधे पांच रुपए की लूट मचा रखी थी। इस हिसाब से प्रतिदिन यात्रियों से 5 हजार रुपए की लूट। 30 दिन में 1 लाख 50 रुपए की लूट। दो साल में 7 लाख 20 हजार रुपए की लूट मात्र एक स्टेशन पर हो चुकी है। यदि इस आंकड़े को पूरे नार्दर्न रेलवे में अप्लाई करते है तो यह लूट करोड़ रुपए में जाकर पड़ती है।

ऐसे हुआ खुलासा बताया जा रहा है कि किसी यात्री ने इस संबंध में रेलवे बोर्ड ने रेट लिस्ट और पैकेट के सैंपल के साथ शिकायत दर्ज कराई थी। इसके बाद जाकर रेलवे के अधिकारियों ने को मामले की जानकारी लगी। अब रेलवे बोर्ड ने अपने आदेश के तहत शर्तानुसार ही स्टेशन पर सामान बेचने का नया आदेश जारी किया है।