ProUI

NEW DELHI: To expedite the ambitious rapid rail connectivity in the National Capital Region (NCR), the urban development ministry will soon seek Cabinet approval for setting of a company. To start with, the company which will execute the project will have a seed fund of Rs 100 crore. All four NCR states - Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan - will contribute 50% of this seed money for NCR Transport Corporation ( NCRTC) whereas Centre will put the rest. "We have already got feedback from all other ministries and department concerned. Once the Cabinet puts its stamp, the company can come into operation within two months," said an urban development ministry official. The company would be headed by a full-time managing director, who would be nominated by the urban development ministry. The ministry in consultation with the state governments has finalized the three corridors for Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), costing around Rs 74,000 crore. Sources said the project is capital intensive since it includes investment for procuring high quality air-conditioned rail coaches. So far, the alignment of Delhi-Panipat and Delhi-Alwar have been freezed. The elevated rail tracks would be built along the existing national highway corridors of Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Meerut - totaling 318 km.

The railway level crossing gate at Avarampalayam was damaged on Tuesday when a van driver tried to cross even as the gate keeper was bringing down the gate for enabling an approaching train to pass through the section. The collision resulted in damage to the gate. Railway staff worked for several hours to set right the structure. Following the incident, traffic was diverted via Sathyamangalam Road and small arterial feeder roads with underpasses. Railway police are questioning the van driver.

दिल्ली से अलीपुर द्वार जाने वाली महानंदा एक्सप्रेस (ट्रेन संख्या-15484) 20 जून को रद रहेगी। रेलवे अधिकारियों ने बताया है कि अलीपुर द्वार से आने वाली 15483 नंबर की ट्रेन मंगलवार को दिल्ली नहीं आई है। इसी वजह से 20 तारीख को 15484 नंबर की ट्रेन दिल्ली से रवाना नहीं होगी।

CHENNAI: A 45-year-old man, who stole a train driver's suitcase from the Tambaram railway station, was arrested at Dindigul when he arrived there by the Vaigai Express on Monday morning. The suitcase contained a key of a local train, detonators and documents issued by railways to motormen. Motormen are given detonators to alert passing trains in case of a technical snag or a possible danger ahead. The detonators and the key are still missing, though the box has been recovered. Railway police said that S Ramesh from Kadaperi near Tambaram was arrested after CCTV footage showed him walking into the crew room of the station and leaving with the suitcase at 1.50am on Monday. Investigation began after Eshwara Murthy, 47, a suburban train motorman, complained that the suitcase he had left in the room on Sunday night was missing on Monday morning. Motormen leave the suitcases issued to them at the station after duty hours. Police alerted all the railway stations about the stranger who was later caught when he stepped out of Vaigai Express with the steel box at Dindigul railway station. A team of policemen brought him to the city from Dindigul along with the suitcase on Tuesday. Police said Ramesh was drunk when he took away the suitcase. After arresting Ramesh, police opened the suitcase which did not have the detonators and the key. "He said he doesn't remember where he left them," said a railway police official. Motormen have been leaving their cases inside the rooms of the station for years. Nobody bothers to take these locked suitcases because it has markings notifying them as railway property," said a railway police official. After an unidentified man drove away a suburban train and rammed into a shunting loco at Vyasarpadi Jiva railway station in 2009, railway officials have made it mandatory for motormen to handle the steel box, which earlier the technical staff used to take between the station office and the trains.

In a raid that lasted almost two hours on Tuesday evening, six officials from CBI, Chandigarh, inspected the ticketing counters and reservation department of Ludhiana railway station.Jagdish Lal, inspector, CBI, Chandigarh, told Ludhiana Newsline, "Some irregularities have been found in cash receipts but the matter is not of CBI level. We got information through sources and thus we raided. We will file an inquiry report and then investigation will be done further."Ravinder Sharma, station superintendent, said, "They came around 5 pm and we fully cooperated with CBI. They noted down a few things and went at 7 pm."

जयनगर-जनकपुर रेलखंड पर सोमवार की देर शाम जयनगर से जनकपुर जाने वाली सवारी गाड़ी के चार डब्बे खजुरी स्टेशन के समीप पटरी से उतर जाने के कारण आवागमन ठप हो गया। जिस कारण मंगलवार को भी जयनगर-जनकपुर रेल खंड पर सवारी गाड़ियों का परिचालन ठप रहा। जयनगर नेपाली रेलवे स्टेशन अधीक्षक खर्ग नारायण चौधरी ने बताया कि डब्बा को हटाने का काम युद्ध स्तर पर किया जा रहा है। बुधवार से गाड़ियों का परिचालन पुन: प्रारंभ कर दिया जाएगा।

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the shutdown was near total, but police said normal life was not hit by the stir. Top BJP leaders and more than 500 workers were taken into custody during the shutdown.


Nearly half-a-dozen people were injured here in a clash, and several trains stopped, roads blocked and top BJP leaders taken into custody across Bihar during the party's state-wide shutdown Tuesday to protest what it called a betrayal by the JD-U.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the shutdown was near total, but police said normal life was not hit by the stir. Top BJP leaders and more than 500 workers were taken into custody during the shutdown, a police official said."Normal life was not hit by BJP's shutdown in Patna and other district headquarters across the state," said an official at the police headquarters here.According to police, hundreds of BJP workers led by party leaders took to the streets across the state but failed to receive support of the people."Only BJP workers, leaders and some of their supporters with placards, party flags and banners in their hands, joined the protest during the shutdown," a district police official told IANS here.Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey, however, told media persons here that it was a near-total shutdown. "People have supported the shutdown," he asserted.Top BJPs leaders including Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shahnawaz Hussain, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, and Sushil Kumar Modi were taken into custody when they protested here during the shutdown, said Patna's Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj.Hours after the shutdown began, nearly half-a-dozen people were injured in a clash here, and several trains stopped and roads blocked across the state.Several trains were forcibly halted and national highway blocked Tuesday as BJP workers and leaders began a state-wide shutdown to protest the "betrayal" by ruling party Janata Dal-United (JD-U) that ended its 17-year-old alliance Sunday.The cracks between the BJP and JD-U appeared when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar opposed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's decision to make Modi its public face for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.An angry BJP is observing Tuesday as 'Vishwasghat Diwas' in the state.Nearly half a dozen workers of BJP and JD-U were injured when they clashed and attacked each other with bamboo sticks and iron rods in Patna during the shutdown.According to police officials here, JD-U spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan and three other party leaders were injured when BJP workers attacked them following the clash.The clashes took place after the BJP workers raised slogans against Nitish Kumar and JD-U workers countered them by raising slogans against Narendra Modi, a police official said.The BJP workers stopped half a dozen trains, including long route trains, at different railway stations across the state."Several trains were halted," a police officer told IANS.Roads, including the national highway, were blocked at various places across the state."The strike supporters, mostly BJP workers, blocked important roads, including the national highway and state highways, at various place," said a police official.In Patna, the shutdown evoked mixed response with busy roads like Ashok Rajpath, Bailey Road, Patna-Danapur Road and Fraser Road being blocked.Shops and markets were closed in some areas.The JD-U has 118 seats in the 243-member assembly, four short of a majority, while the BJP has 91 members. There are six independents, while the Congress has four members.

Vijayawada: Railway officials have initiated plans to upgrade Gunadala railway station to a circular station (alternative station for Vijayaw-ada main station) on the lines of Chennai Egmore station by March-next.    The railway and municipal corporation officials ha-ve jointly conducted a survey and recommended that the existing approach road from Gunadala to Nunna be extended to 120 feet.    The municipal authorities have already started work at three bridges centre at Gunadala. They exp-ect that the upgradation of Gunadala station will give a much needed relief for Vijayawada railway stati-on from heavy rail traffic.    Vijayawada railway junction is the second busiest railway junction in India after Mumbai Central Terminal, with nearly 250 express and 150 goods trains passing through it with a passenger traffic of 1.40-lakh everyday. Officials face a tough task in allotting platforms to the trains visiting the station.    Several passenger trains halt for at least 15 to 30 minutes at the outer signal for clearance, subjecting pass-engers to bitter experience, especially during nights. Keeping this in mind, officials have decided to divert some trains to Gunadala circular railway station.    As per the new plan, trains bound for Hyde-rabad, Visakhapatnam and Howrah will be operated from Gunadala station instead of Vijayawada.    Presently, engines for Howrah-Hyderabad trains are changed at the main station in return journey. Also, trains which have no halt are forced to stop at Vijayawada for refilling water and cleaning toilets.    Similarly, goods trains ta ke more time to cross the station. Officials have decided to divert all these trains to Gundala station. A railway official said that the circular station would be ready by March 2014.

The railway level crossing gate at Avarampalayam was damaged on Tuesday when a van driver tried to cross even as the gate keeper was bringing down the gate for enabling an approaching train to pass through the section. The collision resulted in damage to the gate. Railway staff worked for several hours to set right the structure. Following the incident, traffic was diverted via Sathyamangalam Road and small arterial feeder roads with underpasses. Railway police are questioning the van driver.

कुंदर रेलवे हाल्ट के पास धनबाद-पटना इंटरसिटी एक्सप्रेस पर नक्सली हमले की जांच के लिए एसएफएल (विधि विज्ञान प्रयोगशाला) की टीम रविवार को लखीसराय पहुंची। चानन थाना की पुलिस की मदद से इस टीम ने घटनास्थल से बम के टुकड़े, मिट्टी आदि एकत्रित किए। इस बीच चानन थाना में नक्सलियों के विरुद्ध एक और प्राथमिकी दर्ज की गई है। ट्रेन पर हमले के क्रम में धनवह-गोपालपुर पथ को हनुमान गढ़ी के पास बम से उड़ाए जाने को लेकर अवर निरीक्षक परमानंद झा के बयान पर उक्त प्राथमिकी दर्ज की गई है।

रेलवे से संबंधित वारदातों की प्राथमिकी प्राय: रेल थानों में ही दर्ज होती है, मगर इंटरसिटी एक्सप्रेस पर नक्सली हमले की प्राथमिकी चानन थाने में दर्ज हुई है। इसे लेकर जिला पुलिस महकमे में मतभेद पैदा हो गया है। इसके चलते जांच व छापेमारी भी प्रभावित हो रही है। गौरतलब है कि चानन थानान्तर्गत बन्नूबगीचा में सीआरपीएफ का कैंप है। इसके अतिरिक्त जिला में बीएमपी (बिहार मिलिट्री पुलिस) की तीन कंपनियां हैं। इसके बावजूद कार्रवाई की गति मंथर है।