ProUI

Bathinda:
Bathinda junction’s wait for a long-term solution to its sanitation worries got a little longer today when senior officials at Ambala said that the finalisation of the tender would take at least two months.Gulshan, senior divisional commercial manager (SDCM), Ambala division, along with some other officials, visited the Bathinda railway station today and took a stock of the sanitation situation. Although chief commercial manager general Vidya Sinha was scheduled to visit the station, she had to terminate her visit. Though close to 20 cleaners and sweepers were sent from Dhuri, Saharanpur, Ambala and Kalka and close to 15 men were hired by the junction authorities to clean up the station before the visit, the officials looked dissatisfied with the condition of the station. Despite sprinkling of DDT and other insecticides, foul smell emanated from the tracks. Discussing the situation, the SDCM told the authorities that the clearance of tender would take at least two more months because of some “technical problems”. He added that till then the authorities could initiate the work of inviting quotations to give the contract to a firm on a monthly basis.Interestingly, the earlier contract had ended on August 25 and the authorities had floated a new tender on August 12. When asked why the tender was floated earlier, the SDCM said, “We had floated a tender sometimes ago, but it had to be discharged for the non-compliance of rules and regulations. A minimum gap of at least 45 needs to be given before floating a tender.”

“There were inevitable technical issue due to which the tender couldn’t be completed in time. Till the time the work is handed over to a firm for three years, we have asked the junction authorities to hire private firms to clean up the station,” he added.

Meanwhile, the junction authorities are managing the situation precariously. “We hire at least 10 sweepers to clean up the washable aprons and tracks everyday. They are being paid wages at the rate of Rs 219. An additional four workers of the medical department are responsible for sweeping the offices and railway platforms,” said the station superintendent, Pradeep Sharma.

He also said that the situation could have been better, if people had some civic sense. He also pointed out that the exit passageway near the railway ticket booking counter was being used by the public as open urinal. “Since there is no fine, people litter every nook and corner of the station and then complain of the sanitation situation. We all can play our part in keeping the place clean,” he said.

Former member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee S. Chinnappa has urged the Railways to construct a road under-bridge at the railway level-crossing on Savalanga Road in the city.Mr. Chinnappa, in a press release, said the traffic along Savalanga Road, that connects Shimoga city with Shikaripur and Honnali towns, gets disrupted whenever the gates are brought down at the level-crossing. The problem can be addressed by constructing a road under-bridge, he said.

Railway station

He also demanded construction of a railway station near Surya Extension in the city. The residents of Vinobha Nagar, Sominakoppa, J.H. Patel Extension will benefit from such a move, he said.

Mr. Chinnappa has said that, rail link between Shimoga and Harihar would ensure easy access to Mumbai for people of Malnad region. The Department of Railways should commence the work at the earliest. He also has demanded the Department of Railway to open a ticket reservation counter at Vinobha Nagar locality. Mr. Chinnappa has submitted a memorandum in this regard to Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, President of Indian Railway Board(Passenger Services) during the later’s visit to Shimoga city on Thursday.


Traffic along Savalanga Road gets disrupted because of lowering of gate

Train traffic through the new broad gauge line between Palakkad and Pollachi is likely to be delayed further owing to delay in construction of a railway bridge across the Yakkara river.Palakkad Railway Divisional Manager Piyus Agarwal had announced at a press conference last week that trains would start services through the new broad gauge line by March next.When the meter gauge rail line was dismantled for broad gauge conversion in December 2008, the Railway authorities had promised that the work would be completed in 16 months and train services from Palakkad to Palani would be resumed.Sources in the railways said the services are likely to begin only by September next.

Work on only two of the four pillars across the river has been completed.

Monsoon

Construction work was delayed owing to heavy rain during the southwest monsoon from June to September.

Work on the remaining two pillars can be completed only by August next, sources said.

Officials of the company that has taken up the contract said work can be taken up only after the northeast monsoon (October-November). The project is estimated to cost Rs. 10.8 crore. Work on the Palani-Pollachi stretch of the railway line in Tamil Nadu has been completed and trains have started running on an experimental basis.

Every time S. Inbarasan, a resident of Pattabiram, had to book a train ticket to his hometown Madurai, he used to go to a nearby internet centre. Inbarasan does not have a smart phone. But now, thanks to a recent initiative by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), he can book a ticket merely by sending an SMS on his regular mobile phone.Many city residents have begun using this facility — launched in June — and say it is very convenient. Across the country, around 200 people use it every day, railway officials said.“Over 2 lakh people book tickets online daily through the IRCTC website. But people find SMS booking convenient, as they can do it from their homes. The problems are that the software will accept entries only in English, and you cannot book tickets between 8 a.m. and noon. However, tickets can also be cancelled with this facility,” said a railway official.For those with the Airtel network, booking a ticket by SMS is made simpler because they can pay through Airtel money. Airtel users can dial *400# and they will be directed to a series of dialling options based on a menu. “We wanted everybody to be able to book tickets from any place at any time without facing any trouble,” said Murali Kittu, chief operating officer, Bharati Airtel, Tamil Nadu.

People using other mobile networks have to send an SMS to 139. “The SMS should contain details including the station names, travel date, class, name of the passenger, his/her age and gender and their bank’s name: BOOK 22105 KYN PUNE 3008 2S Rakesh 55 M ICICI.

The user will receive a transaction id, ticket amount, IRCTC service charge, total amount and seat availability. “After this, the user has to send the transaction ID and the last six digits of her bank account number. She will then receive a booking confirmation through SMS,” said the official.

To avail of the facility, residents first have to register their mobile number with IRCTC as well as their bank. The bank provides a Mobile Money Identifier (MMID) and a One-Time Password (OTP) to authorise the payment.

Basher, a student from Chennai who uses Airtel money, said that he used to book tickets online earlier. “But SMS ticketing is much more convenient as I do not need to be connected to the internet,” he said.

A senior BSNL official said they were also working on applications for users to book tickets on their mobile phones.

The facility, begun in June, is now used by 200 people every day

No internet connection is needed to book train tickets through it

PATNA: The commissioning of newly built Patliputra railway station has been delayed several times for one reason or the other despite getting clearance from commissioner of railway safety (CRS), eastern region, R P Yadav.

Railways had already announced two or three dates for the commissioning of this station to streamline train traffic in Danapur division of the ECR.

According to sources, the residents of Jalalpur under Rupaspur police station area are demanding a separate road over Khagaul canal to reach Bailey Road easily. Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Jalalpur, said people of the village and its adjoining areas would find it difficult to reach Bailey Road if railways closes the approach road for the traffic from Patliputra station to Danapur or Patna Junction via Phulwari.

According to Kumar, JD (U) leader and Patliputra MP Ranjan Yadav has taken up their problems with the railway authorities. However, no concrete decision has been taken so far. “Unless railways provides them a separate approach road to Bailey Road from Khagaul canal side, they would not allow Patliputra station to be made functional,” he said.

According to ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar, railways would sort out the problems soon. Moreover, the newly built station is likely to benefit the common people most, he said.

Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore as part of the Digha Ganga rail bridge located on Bailey Road near Rukunpura, railways intends to run two pairs of passenger trains from this station. In future, four pairs of passenger trains would originate from here for Delhi and Howrah. Patliputra station has been given a direct connectivity to both Danapur and Phulwari-Patna end to ease traffic flow, an ECR official said, adding that Danapur station would become a junction point after commissioning of Patliputra station.

Though Patliputra station is having three platforms now, there is a provision to increase their number to cope with passengers rush. As per the new plan, railways would develop it as a terminal point in future. Railways has already announced that it would build a separate washing pit at this station so that maintenance work of passenger train rakes could be carried out there smoothly, sources said.

According to sources, railways has not yet decided any new date for the commissioning of Patliputra station. Had it been made functional, it could have eased huge traffic from Patna Junction and Danapur station during festivals, sources said.

ALLAHABAD: The General Manager of North Central Railway (NCR) Alok Johri released the fourth edition of Disaster Management Plan-2013 prepared by the safety department of NCR during the meeting of Punctuality Department recently. He also stressed on maintaining punctuality of trains so that passengers do not face any problems while traveling to their destinations.

Speaking on the occasion, Johri said the disaster management plan would be immensely useful for railway officials in exigent circumstances. He advised that the various guidelines and directions should be thoroughly studied by the railway employees so that if the need arises, they can take immediate action without wasting precious time.

Chief Safety Officer RS Verma said the Plan has elaborate details about the work that is being done by various units of the railways at the accident site and at the divisional and zonal level. Further, it also contains details about the work that is to be done by officers and employees of the various departments in the event of an accident. The various types of resources that are needed in such situations are also mentioned in the Plan, he said. Further, it has the mobile and telephone numbers of the officers concerned with the disaster management cell.

Various heads of departments and officers of the safety department were present during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Rajbhasha Pakhwara (fortnight) was organised by North Central Railway from September 16 to 27. The programme started with lighting of lamp by the general manager. Speaking on the occasion, the GM observed that Hindi represents the culture of the country.

An exhibition was held on the occasion. Awards were given to employees for promoting Hindi. A cultural function was also held.

হাওড়া ও শিয়ালদহ শাখার ট্রেনে এমনিতেই ভিড়ে পা রাখা দায়। যাতায়াত করতে গিয়ে নিত্য নাভিশ্বাস ওঠে শহরতলির যাত্রীদের। এই অবস্থায় উৎসবের মরসুমে বাড়তি ভিড় সামলাতে আরও বেশি সংখ্যায় ১২ কামরার লোকাল ট্রেন চালানোর ব্যবস্থা করছে রেল।
বড় ট্রেনের সংখ্যা বাড়িয়েও অবশ্য পরিস্থিতি সামলানো যাবে কি না, সন্দেহ আছে। কারণ, শিয়ালদহের সব শাখার ট্রেন চলাচলে অনিয়মটাই এখন নিয়ম। কখনও চালক নেই। কখনও বা প্ল্যাটফর্মে রেক আসছে দেরিতে। কখনও আবার সিগন্যালে বিপত্তি। আর এক বার একটি ট্রেন দেরিতে চলা মানেই পরের পর সব ট্রেনেরই দেরি হওয়া। দীর্ঘ ক্ষণ পরে একটি লোকাল এসে স্টেশনে দাঁড়ালে ট্রেনের দরজায় দরজায় ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়েন অপেক্ষমাণ যাত্রীরা। ধাক্কাধাক্কিতে বেশির ভাগ যাত্রী ট্রেনে উঠতে পারেন না। পড়ে যান অনেকেই। এ-সব দৃশ্যই নিত্যদিনের। তার উপরে পুজোয় শহরতলির দর্শকের ভিড় সামলানোটা রেলের কাছে বড় চ্যালেঞ্জ।
রোজ রোজ প্রায় দমবন্ধ অবস্থায় ট্রেন-ভ্রমণের ঝক্কি এড়াতে বেশি বেশি ১২ কামরার ট্রেন চালানোর জন্য যাত্রীরা দীর্ঘদিন ধরেই রেল-কর্তৃপক্ষকে অনুরোধ করছিলেন। দীর্ঘ প্রতীক্ষার পরে পূর্ব রেল ওই ধরনের বেশ কিছু বড় ট্রেনের ব্যবস্থা করেছে। ন’কামরার অনেক ট্রেনেই জোড়া হয়েছে বাড়তি তিনটি কামরা। পূর্ব রেল সূত্রের খবর, হাওড়ায় এ-পর্যন্ত ৬৪টি এবং শিয়ালদহে ৩২টি ট্রেনে ১২ কামরার ব্যবস্থা হয়েছে। ফলে প্রায় ৩৩ শতাংশ বেশি যাত্রী যাতায়াত করতে পারছেন।
সরকারি হিসেব অনুযায়ী হাওড়া ও শিয়ালদহ মিলিয়ে প্রতিদিন প্রায় ৩০ লক্ষ যাত্রী যাতায়াত করেন। ফি-বছর চার শতাংশ যাত্রী বাড়ছে। উৎসবের মরসুমে বেড়ে যাচ্ছে প্রায় ১৫ থেকে ২০ শতাংশ যাত্রী। দুই ডিভিশন মিলিয়ে সারা দিনে ১২৮৪টি লোকাল ট্রেন চালিয়েও ভিড় সামাল দেওয়া যাচ্ছে না।
এক রেলকর্তা জানান, রেকে কামরার সংখ্যা বাড়াতে পারলে এই সমস্যার কিছুটা সমাধান করা যেতে পারে। তাই এখন সাধ্যমতো সেটাই করার চেষ্টাই চলছে। চলতি বছরের শেষ দিকে সব লোকালেই কামরার সংখ্যা বাড়ানোর কাজ শেষ হয়ে যাবে বলে আশা করা হচ্ছে। পূর্ব রেলের মুখ্য জনসংযোগ আধিকারিক রবি মহাপাত্র বলেন, “সব ট্রেনে ১২ কামরা লাগিয়ে চালাতে গেলে পরিকাঠামোরও বিস্তর পরিবর্তন প্রয়োজন। এখন সেই কাজটাই করা হচ্ছে।” প্ল্যাটফর্মের দৈর্ঘ্য বাড়ানো থেকে শুরু করে সিগন্যাল ব্যবস্থার পরিবর্তন পর্যন্ত সবই চলছে দুই ডিভিশনে। পূর্ব রেলের কর্তাদের আশা, এ বছরের শেষাশেষি পরিকাঠামো পরিবর্তনের কাজ শেষ হয়ে যাবে। তার পরে যাত্রীরা অনেকটাই স্বস্তিতে ট্রেনে যাতায়াত করতে পারবেন

Mohali: Amid cheers, the Hazoor Sahib Superfast Express halted at the Mohali railway station for 10 minutes this evening.The train arrived at 6.30 pm and left at 6.40 pm. Over 2,500 residents, area MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu and religious leaders turned up at the station.Meals, arranged by Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan, Gurdwara Bibi Bhani and Gurdwara Sachcha Dhan, were served to gurdwaras. Eighteen passengers boarded the train from Mohali. Fatehgarh Sahib-based Khushal Singh said it would be a special journey.Kurali resident Niranjan Singh said, "Thousands of devotees visited the gurdwara every year. The move has cheered the residents."Echoing similar sentiments, Kharar-residents Amarjit, his wife Karnail Kaur and Mohali residents Kashmir Singh and his wife Amrik Kaur said there was a mad scramble for tickets and the train would attract a large number of passengers in the coming days.The train should run thrice a week," said Kashmir Singh. Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu said the residents were happy with the move.Station master MC Gupta said the train would reach Mohali at 6.38 pm every Thursday and leave for Hazoor Sahib at 6.40 pm.On its return journey, the train would reach the town at 6.12 pm every Sunday, he said.

Former member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee S. Chinnappa has urged the Railways to construct a road under-bridge at the railway level-crossing on Savalanga Road in the city.Mr. Chinnappa, in a press release, said the traffic along Savalanga Road, that connects Shimoga city with Shikaripur and Honnali towns, gets disrupted whenever the gates are brought down at the level-crossing. The problem can be addressed by constructing a road under-bridge, he said.

Railway station

He also demanded construction of a railway station near Surya Extension in the city. The residents of Vinobha Nagar, Sominakoppa, J.H. Patel Extension will benefit from such a move, he said.

Mr. Chinnappa has said that, rail link between Shimoga and Harihar would ensure easy access to Mumbai for people of Malnad region. The Department of Railways should commence the work at the earliest. He also has demanded the Department of Railway to open a ticket reservation counter at Vinobha Nagar locality. Mr. Chinnappa has submitted a memorandum in this regard to Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, President of Indian Railway Board(Passenger Services) during the later’s visit to Shimoga city on Thursday.


Traffic along Savalanga Road gets disrupted because of lowering of gate

विशेष संवाददाता।। नई दिल्ली डीजल के दामों में वृद्धि के मद्देनजर रेल मंत्रालय ने यात्री किराए एवं मालभाड़े में बढ़ोतरी का फैसला किया है। यात्री किराए में 2 पर्सेंट जबकि मालभाड़े में 1.7 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि की गई है। बढ़ा हुआ यात्री किराया 7 अक्टूबर से, जबकि मालभाड़ा 10 अक्टूबर से लागू होगा।

रेलवे बोर्ड के प्रवक्ता के मुताबिक, यात्री किराए में मेल और एक्सप्रेस ट्रेनों की सभी श्रेणियों में बढ़ोतरी की गई है, जबकि पैसेंजर गाड़ियों में फर्स्ट क्लास का ही किराया बढ़ेगा। रेलवे की महानगरीय सेवाओं में भी सेकंड क्लास के किराए नहीं बढ़ाए जाएंगे। सेकंड क्लास के मासिक पास का भी किराया नहीं बढ़ेगा। लेकिन, इन ट्रेनों में प्रथम श्रेणी में चलने वालों को अब 2 प्रतिशत अधिक भुगतान करना होगा।

बता दें कि गुरुवार को ही रेल मंत्री मल्लिकार्जुन खड़गे ने किराया बढ़ाने के संकेत दिए थे। डीजल की महंगाई को एडजस्ट करने के आधार पर किराए बढ़ाने का प्रस्ताव रेल बजट में किया गया था। तब रेल मंत्री ने कहा था कि इस आधार पर साल में 2 बार किराया बढ़ाने पर विचार किया जा सकता है।
इसको आप इस रूप में भी समझ सकते हैं। यात्रियों को आने वाले सोमवार से 1 हजार रुपये के टिकट के लिए 20 रुपये अतिरिक्त खर्च करने होंगे। बढ़ा हुआ किराया उस अडवांस यात्रा पर भी लागू होगा, जो 7 अक्टूबर या उसके बाद की जाएगी।