ProUI

Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday became the sixth Railway Minister in four years as Rail Bhavan appears to have become jinxed in the UPA-II. Three ministers each from TMC and Congress have assumed charge of the ministry during the past four years of UPA-II.When UPA-II assumed power in May 2009, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee became the Railway Minister. She resigned two years later to become West Bengal Chief Minister. Dinesh Trivedi, her party colleague, succeeded her in Rail Bhavan but was forced to quit by the TMC supremo in less than a year after he proposed hike in passenger fares in last year's Railway Budget.
In fact, his exit was so hasty that he was not able to see the passage of the Railway Budget which he presented in Lok Sabha in March 2012. His position was taken by Mamata loyalist Mukul Roy but he too remained in the post only for about six months as his party withdrew from the government protesting against allowing FDI in retail.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the sixth Railway Minister in four years
The crucial infrastructure portfolio then went to Road and Transport Minister CP Joshi for a brief period of five weeks before it was finally given to Pawan Kumar Bansal. Bansal became the first Congress leader in 17 years to get the ministry. However, Bansal was unceremoniously ousted from Rail Bhavan last month after his nephew was caught by CBI allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 90 lakh to get a senior Railway official a plum posting.
Joshi was again given the additional charge of Railways for 35 days before Kharge got the formal responsibility of running the national transporter.

NEW DELHI : 
Lalu’s antics and Mamata’s theatrics may have kept previous Railway Ministers in the news. But rarely was the media focus on Rail Bhavan, the imposing headquarters where the real work of keeping the world’s second largest rail network running gets doneUntil recently, that is.The arrest, on corruption charges, of one of the senior most Railway officials by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the consequent exit of its minister, has left the Railways not just rattled, but unable to move with no decision happening, especially on top level appointments.With Mahesh Kumar, Member-Staff, Railway Board, behind bars for over a month now, the Ministry is in a fix on whether a full-time replacement is necessary till Kumar’s fate is known. Member-Staff is the top HR post in the Railways, which is India’s biggest employer with over 1.4 million on its rolls.The Railway Ministry had suspended Kumar after he was arrested by the CBI for allegedly offering a bribe to the nephew of then Railway Minister Pawan Bansal. Bansal had denied any links with either his nephew or Kumar, but was forced to go nevertheless. He has subsequently been questioned by the CBI.

IN A FIX

Since Member-level appointments are statutory and since such appointees cannot be axed as easily as a minister, the Railways is in a peculiar fix. It does not have anybody full-time running the HR side of its business. And it appears unwilling to get someone else for the job till the CBI formally files charges against Kumar. There is also the possibility of the CBI either failing to charge Kumar, or even if it does, failing to prove its case, which means Kumar will be back.

For the moment, Subodh Jain, Member-Engineering, has been given additional charge of Member-Staff.

There is no clarity by when the CBI will take a call on the fate of Kumar, who was appointed Member-Staff just two days before his arrest.

Ministry officials point out that this top Railway Board post may not get a full time official for up to two years, if the CBI were to take longer in its investigation, as Mahesh Kumar has two years to go till retirement.

Incidentally, of the seven-member Railway Board, two posts already are without full time Members — Staff and Traffic. Two more posts — Chairman and Finance Commissioner — are set to fall vacant in another two weeks.

DECISION MAKING

But the real issue is the slowing down of decision making. Just imagine the chaos if a $22-billion company (the Railways had revenues of Rs 1,26,000 crore last year) had nearly half of its top functional directors missing!

Earlier, too, questions have been raised on the practice of keeping top posts vacant. In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary, the Railway officer’s federation had written against such practice, though in a different context.

The dilemma for the Railways is: Should it wait to hear from CBI on Kumar, or appoint someone? If it does the former, decision-making suffers. If the latter, and the CBI clears Kumar, it has a different headache. “If Mahesh Kumar were to be reinstated, he can be appointed to the Railway Board on a ‘supernumerary post’, which is something like temporary duty. This happens for lower posts regularly, though at a Member-level rank, there is probably just one such precedence,” said an official in the know.

Meanwhile, a three-member committee has been formed in the Board to review the rules followed for Board-level positions. But some insiders question the terms of reference. “That should be to look specifically at loopholes in the current maze of rules followed for selection. For instance, in the current context, there is no clarity on who should be posted among two of the top contenders for the Chairman’s post,” said another source.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Vijayawada discussed on how to prevent the possible Maoist attacks and other crimes on moving trains or on isolated railway stations. At a security meeting held here, GRP Superintendent of Police Ch. Syam Prasad, Guntakal Division Railway SP Munu Swamy, RPF Divisional Security Commissioner Ramesh Chandra and officers from about 10 districts talked about impending threats to the railway passengers and properties. Following the Maoist attack on Dhanbad-Patna Intercity Express near Jamui in Bihar on June 13, in which three persons were killed and six others were injured and Chhattisgarh naxal attack killing 29 people, including some Congress party and Salwa Judum leaders on May 25, the railway police were asked to carry weapons compulsorily while on beat duties.

Joint beats

The officers decided to conduct joint beats on moving trains and on platforms, particularly in naxal-affected districts, forests and danger zones. The GRP or the RPF can open fire, if necessary on thieves to protect themselves and the passengers, said the officials. The GRP SPs and the RPF divisional chief said that the police should be alert while on the moving trains in the naxal-dominated areas and keenly observe the bushes and forests along the tracks. As regards thefts by inter-state dacoit gangs, Mr. Syam Prasad said that visible policing is necessary on platforms and on running trains to prevent looting in bogies. The beat constables should carry weapon, torch lights and walkie-talkies and the concerned DSPs and CIs should monitor the beats regularly. Speaking to the newsmen later, Mr. Syam Prasad said that robbery cases in trains have come down during this summer, when compared to the previous years. Vigil has been stepped up in railway stations to avoid movement of anti-social elements. The GRP and RPF will conduct joint operations for providing safe journey to the passengers, he said.

RPF Assistant Commandant Ponna Raju, Vijayawada Railway DSP Rajashekar, Guntur DSP Kasim Baig, Nellore Railway DSP Srinivas and police officers from other districts participated.

While two Karnataka stalwarts have been rewarded with major portfolios for the Congress’ victory in the recent Assembly elections, the Union Cabinet reshuffle on Monday has redeployed forces for retaining power in Rajasthan. The State goes to polls in November.Both Mallikarjun Kharge and Oscar Fernandes, hailing from Karnataka, have been given the charge of the Railways and Road Transport and Highways Ministries respectively replacing C.P Joshi, who held both the portfolios until his induction in the party’s organisation.Rajasthan has been accommodated with as many berths in the Union Cabinet to make up for the loss of Dr. Joshi in the form of Sis Ram Ola and Girija Vyas.Mr. Kharge will be the seventh Railway Minister and Mr. Fernandes the third to steer the Road Ministry during the UPA’s second term in office.The Congress, which is keen on improving the functioning of the Railways, has passed the baton to its fourth leader in less than one year after taking over the Ministry from the Trinamool Congress which quit the UPA.

Similarly, the Congress has failed to provide stability even in the Road Transport Ministry, posting three persons in just about four years.

In the case of the Railways, three TMC leaders Mamata Banerjee, Dinesh Trivedi and Mukul Roy worked as Ministers.

The Congress started its Railway innings after a gap of 16 years with Dr. Joshi but he made way for Pawan Kumar Bansal. However, following bribery charges Mr. Bansal had to quit the post. That got Dr. Joshi back into the Rail Bhawan only to take the train to the organisation giving way to Mr. Kharge.

Kamal Nath’s stint at the Road Transport Ministry was for about 18 months, making way for Dr. Joshi, who was shifted out of Rural Development. Like Mr. Nath, Dr. Joshi too failed to put the Highways on the road to development. Now Mr. Fernandes, considered close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has been vested with the responsibility to rectify the situation.

Railways earned Rs 22,439.30 crore during April-May this year as compared to Rs 19,905.32 crore for the same period last year, registering an increase of 12.73 per cent.The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs 14,169.34 crore during April 1 and May 31, 2012 to Rs 15,660.11 crore during the corresponding period this year, an increase of 10.52 per cent.During April-May 2013, the passenger earnings stood at Rs 5,803.43 crore as compared to last year’s Rs 4,940.04 crore, registering a growth of 17.48 per cent.The earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs 696.12 crore during the two months compared to Rs 490.13 crore in the same period last year, an increase of 42.03 per cent.Passenger bookings also rose by 0.19 per cent from 1,392.47 million to 1,395.11 million.

GURGAON: Two minor girls were kidnapped from Rewari railway station within the past fortnight. Yet a peek into the security arrangements Gurgaon railway station reveals how vulnerable place remains. There is no security check at the entrance to the station. The station is yet to have CCTV cameras installed. There is nobody to oversee the baggage of passengers baggage entering the station. The fence on the other side of the railway station, which is meant to block entry, is freely used by common people and anti-social elements who easily make their way through the holes in the fence. The station is also frequented by stray animals, especially dogs. "Gurgaon railway station is one of the most crowded stations in Haryana but the infrastructure is sub-par. There is no effort to upgrade the station. There is total lack of seriousness on the part of the administration and state government to pressure the railways to upgrade the railway station. Our government wakes up only when there is an accident and loss of life," says Manish Yadav, a resident of DLF -II Gurgaon.

There is no metal detector or any security check at the gate of the Gurgaon railway station and anybody can enter the complex.

Even the signboard displaying rules and regulations was lying in a corner near the Government Railway Police (GRP) booth at the entrance of the gate, with the writing on it barely legible.

"So far there has been no report of crime being committed at the Gurgaon railway station. We are going to discuss the security status of the railway station with top officials of Northern Railway," says Ajay Michael, PRO Northern Railways Delhi Division.

When TOI visited the railways station, two GRP men were seen talking to someone and allowing the passengers to enter the station without the mandatory security check.

Northern Railway sources say there are three security officials on shift at any given time. Passengers in the waiting room fear for their safety and security.

"When the railway stations in Delhi have all the necessary security arrangements, why is there no security here in Gurgaon? This is really surprising," says Pavan Kumar a passenger.

LUDHIANA: With the exit of former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and their hopes shattering, Ludhianvis are now pinning hopes upon the newly appointed railway minister MallikarjunKharge to improve the railway connectivity to this one of the main industrial cities of north India. The beginning of Jan Shatabdi tops the list of the residents' demands as they suffer due to no bullet train from the city to Delhi after 8am. Even information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, who is an MP from the city, had many a times acknowledged that the demand of the residents for Jan Shatabdi is pending with him. An industrialist from Rishi Nagar Tushar Chawla says, "The city badly needs a good train, that is, Jan Shatabdi. The city has no train after 8am till evening. It is important for the industrial development of the city. We were expecting Pawan Kumar Bansal to begin it but then he had to resign." "Now that a new railway minister has been sworn in, we hope he fulfills this demand of the residents of one of the biggest industrial cities of north India," he adds. Another industrialist from Fateh Singh Nagar Rajesh Kalra says, "Jan Shatabdi should be started soon as it will give a boost to the industries in the city. At the same time, the railway station badly needs a revamp. There is no AC waiting room at the station and even the non-AC waiting room has inadequate sitting facilities. Apart from that, the building of the railway station is also old and needs repairing. We request the new railway minister to consider our demands seriously and fulfill these at an earliest as our business is connected with the railway network."

In the meanwhile, the information and broadcasting minister said, "The beginning of Jan Shatabdi and improving facilities at the railway station are important for the city and are on my priority list. Once the new railway minister settles down, I will discuss these with him."

Ashwin Nagpal, businessman of Civil Lines, says: "The city needs a Jan Shatabdi. One more option is to add the number of higher executive class bogeys if it is possible, especially in the express trains. So far as the upgradation of the railway station is concerned, the upkeep of the station is important before upgrading the infrastructure. Dr Gurpreet Singh, resident of Pakhowal road, says: "Apart from starting good trains from the city, the modernization of the railway station is important as it is one of the main railway stations of north India. Safai karamcharis should be deployed at the station in adequate numbers to maintain hygiene. Upkar Singh, joint secretary, Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Understandings, says "Besides our demand of a Jan Shatabdi, we also want facilities like visitors lounge, additional platforms, proper food joints, elevators especially for elderly persons. We also want the authorities to repair the overbridges which are in bad shape."

LUDHIANA: With the exit of former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and their hopes shattering, Ludhianvis are now pinning hopes upon the newly appointed railway minister MallikarjunKharge to improve the railway connectivity to this one of the main industrial cities of north India. The beginning of Jan Shatabdi tops the list of the residents' demands as they suffer due to no bullet train from the city to Delhi after 8am. Even information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, who is an MP from the city, had many a times acknowledged that the demand of the residents for Jan Shatabdi is pending with him. An industrialist from Rishi Nagar Tushar Chawla says, "The city badly needs a good train, that is, Jan Shatabdi. The city has no train after 8am till evening. It is important for the industrial development of the city. We were expecting Pawan Kumar Bansal to begin it but then he had to resign." "Now that a new railway minister has been sworn in, we hope he fulfills this demand of the residents of one of the biggest industrial cities of north India," he adds. Another industrialist from Fateh Singh Nagar Rajesh Kalra says, "Jan Shatabdi should be started soon as it will give a boost to the industries in the city. At the same time, the railway station badly needs a revamp. There is no AC waiting room at the station and even the non-AC waiting room has inadequate sitting facilities. Apart from that, the building of the railway station is also old and needs repairing. We request the new railway minister to consider our demands seriously and fulfill these at an earliest as our business is connected with the railway network."

In the meanwhile, the information and broadcasting minister said, "The beginning of Jan Shatabdi and improving facilities at the railway station are important for the city and are on my priority list. Once the new railway minister settles down, I will discuss these with him."

Ashwin Nagpal, businessman of Civil Lines, says: "The city needs a Jan Shatabdi. One more option is to add the number of higher executive class bogeys if it is possible, especially in the express trains. So far as the upgradation of the railway station is concerned, the upkeep of the station is important before upgrading the infrastructure. Dr Gurpreet Singh, resident of Pakhowal road, says: "Apart from starting good trains from the city, the modernization of the railway station is important as it is one of the main railway stations of north India. Safai karamcharis should be deployed at the station in adequate numbers to maintain hygiene. Upkar Singh, joint secretary, Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Understandings, says "Besides our demand of a Jan Shatabdi, we also want facilities like visitors lounge, additional platforms, proper food joints, elevators especially for elderly persons. We also want the authorities to repair the overbridges which are in bad shape."

गोरखधंधा

- मुंबई से तत्काल कोटे में टिकटों का खेल

- कुशीनगर एक्सप्रेस व लोकमान्य तिलक सुपर फास्ट में हुई जांच

-जांच दल ने वसूला 32 हजार रुपये जुर्माना

जागरण संवाददाता, लखनऊ :

तत्काल कोटे में आरक्षित बर्थ पर बिना टिकट सफर कर रहे 36 मुसाफिरों को रेलवे के जांच दल ने रविवार देर रात पकड़ लिया। इन यात्रियों की बर्थ तो बुक थी, लेकिन उनके पास टिकट नहीं थे। इनसे जुर्माने के तौर पर करीब 32 हजार 91 रुपये जुर्माने के तौर पर वसूले गए। वरिष्ठ मंडल वाणिज्य प्रबंधक राधेश्याम ने कहा कि यह जांच लगातार जारी रहेगी।

मुंबई से तत्काल टिकट बुक कराकर गोरखपुर, गोंडा, बस्ती व लखनऊ से सफर करने वाले यात्रियों तक पहुंचाने का गोरखधंधा सामने आने के बाद रेलवे द्वारा पिछले चार दिनों से जांच कराई जा रही है। पूर्वोत्तर रेलवे की वाणिज्य शाखा के अधिकारी ट्रेन के चार्ट की मानीटरिंग कर रहे हैं और मुंबई से बुक टिकट की जांच कर रहे हैं। इसी क्रम में रविवार को कुशीनगर एक्सप्रेस की जांच में 14 मुसाफिरों को सफर करते पकड़ा गया। इनके पास मौके पर टिकट नहीं मिले। इनसे 10 हजार 587 रुपये जुर्माना वसूल किया गया। इसी तरह से लोकमान्य तिलक एक्सप्रेस में जांच के दौरान 22 यात्रियों को बिना टिकट सफर करते पकड़ा गया। इसमें सात मुसाफिर वातानुकूलित श्रेणी में तथा 15 मुसाफिर स्लीपर श्रेणी में सफर कर रहे थे। इन लोगों से 21 हजार 504 रुपये जुर्माना वसूला गया। इस तरह से जांच दल ने कुल 36 यात्रियों को पकड़ कर उनसे 32 हजार 91 रुपये जुर्माना वसूला।

वरिष्ठ मंडल वाणिज्य प्रबंधक राधेश्याम ने बताया कि ट्रैवेल एजेंटों के इस गोरखधंधे को रोकने के लिए अभियान लगातार जारी रहेगा। उन्होंने बताया कि इस संबंध में सेंट्रल रेलवे द्वारा टीमें गठित कर दी गई हैं जो मामले की जांच कर रही हैं।

इधर जांच, उधर बुकिंग

रेलवे अधिकारी ट्रैवेल एजेंट के नेटवर्क को तोड़ने के लिए जांच कर रहे हैं, लेकिन सिलसिला रुकता नजर नहीं आ रहा है। इसका अंदाजा रविवार को हुई बुकिंग से ही लगाया जा सकता है। सोमवार को कुशीनगर एक्सप्रेस में तत्काल कोटे की 344 सीटों में 278 मुंबई के विभिन्न स्टेशनों से बुक थीं। इसी तरह से लोकमान्य तिलक सुपर फास्ट एक्सप्रेस में तत्काल कोटे की 127 में 87 बर्थ मुबंई से बुक कराई गई थीं। खास बात यह है कि पुष्पक एक्सप्रेस में मुंबई से बुकिंग कम है जबकि कुशीनगर व लोकमान्य तिलक एक्सप्रेस में ही तत्काल कोटे की बर्थ मुंबई में बुक कराई जा रही है।

Arriving almost a fortnight in advance, the south-west monsoon brought heavy rains in several parts of Haryana, affecting rail and road traffic in the state, while water level in Yamuna river was at all time high.The rains have led to an alarming increase in the water level of Yamuna, with an all-time record over 8.06 lakh cusecs water flowing through the Hathni Kund barrage early this morning.Authorities have sounded a high alert in the neighbouring districts of Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat and Faridabad, with gushing waters expected to reach some parts of Delhi as well.Rail traffic from Ambala-Saharanpur has been suspended as heavy rains damaged rail track near Kalanour railway station today, they said.The National Highway No 73 (Amritsar-Ambala-Saharanpur) and Old Saharanpur road have also been closed due to flood.In Yamunanagar district, normal life was paralysed and 52 persons were rescued by the Army and personnel of the National Disaster Response Force as several areas were flooded after Yamuna river's level rose alarmingly, prompting the authorities to sound an alert, state's Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) Krishna Mohan said.One hundred and fifty residents of Shergarh Tapu village and 42 of Chandrao in Karnal district, who were also stranded due to floods, were evacuated, officials said.There were reports of more people having been rescued in Karnal.It has been raining heavily in several parts of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh's catchment areas near Yamunanagar during the past few days.Yamunanagar Deputy Commissioner Markand Khete Malish said that water has entered houses in several villages in the district and efforts had been launched to supply necessary food and other essential items to the affected.Irrigation Minister, H S Chattha said that although there had been unprecedented discharge of 8.06 lakh cusecs in river Yamuna, the heavy floods have not yet caused any serious damage to the protection structures constructed along the river in the state.Chattha said that the effect of the peak discharge was expected to reach Delhi in 48 hours after crossing Hathini Kund Barrage in Yamunanagar and after spreading in the plains in Haryana.