ProUI

The ambitious NCR Rapid Rail Connectivity project that aims to connect Delhi with Alwar, Panipat and Meerut depends on betterment charges for its majority positive cash flows from the start of operation in 2017. The one-time betterment charge, proposed along the three corridors, would be applicable every time a property in the identified area is bought or sold.“The rationale behind imposing betterment charges is that the citizens become partners in development of the concerned area,” said Ashwini Parashar, vice-president, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transport Systems (DIMMTS), which is involved in making the detailed project report.The NCR Rapid Rail Connectivity project has proposed two models to implement the betterment charges. One is based on the percentage of the circle rate, paying five per cent during the construction period of the proposed rapid rail corridor and 5-7.5 per cent during the operational period of the corridor, depending on the type of property. Every time a property is bought or sold, the specified percentage would be paid to National Capital Region Transport Corp (NCRTC), which was recently formed with participation of four state governments.

Another option floated is the fixed rate square metres basis, charging Rs 1,000 per sq m during construction of the project and between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 during operational period, depending on the type of property.

Planned to be completed under the public private partnership (PPP) model, the private partner would be responsible for rolling stock, signalling, elevated stations, operations and management and generates majority of its revenues through fares. On the other hand, the only source of income for the government or NCRTC would be the betterment charges. On the Delhi-Meerut corridor, the cash-flow sheet shows that NCRPB would be in red by 2021, making losses of Rs 179 crore for that year and continue to remain in red till 2036.

In 2017, the project feasibility report expects cash-flows of Rs 608 crore at the Panipat line and Rs 498 crore at the Meerut line, the only source of cash flows expected till 2046 for NCRTC. These betterment cash flows are expected to provide the oxygen to NCRTC till 2045, with no alternative source of funding to repay the soft loans.

This heavy reliance on betterment charges raises questions of financial sustainability for the project. At many instances, courts and governments have withdrawn betterment charges amid local resistance. Officials working on the project are positive, though. “We have kept the projections reasonably conservative and that should make our projections realistic,” says an official.

Betterment charges in India were planned to be imposed when Delhi Metro was in the initial stages, but the proposal was never accepted by the Delhi government. Similarly, the Karnataka High Court struck down a Bangalore Municipal Council circular for collection of uniform circular charges for widening of roads and other amenities.

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has also passed similar betterment charges on any new construction in the metro influenced area, charging 15 per cent of the hiked property cost. This money would be used to fund the Ghaziabad metro development and help the GDA raise funds for its share of metro fund amounting to Rs 1,016 crore.

DEVELOPMENT FEES ELSEWHERE

* Similar charges proposed for DMRC but never approved by the Delhi government

* Bangalore High Court struck down a Bangalore Municipal Council circular for collection of uniform circular charges that it wanted to collect for widening of roads and other amenities

* Proposed by Maharashtra government near major infrastructure projects like monorail and metro in 2010, under a separate fund called Mumbai Development fund

* Ghaziabad Development Authority recently decided to charge 15 per cent of hiked cost in metro-influenced areas

* Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor also plans to levy similar charges

VIJAYAWADA: United Andhra Pradesh supporters on Saturday went on a rampage and blocked roads, burnt vehicles, attacked properties of Congress leaders besides disrupting train and power services to protest the Centre move to go ahead with Telangana formation despite their two-month agitation.Thousands of vehicles were stranded on highways as protesters blocked them by burning tyres on the second day of the blockade of roads.Three vehicles were burnt in temple town of Tirupati, where the annual Brahmotsavams began on Saturday. The agitation had its impact on the Dasara festivities at Vijayawada's famous Sri Kanakadurga temple.Train services were disrupted at many places resulting in delay of trains by up to four hours. Several trains were stopped at Kondayapalem railway gate on Nellore outskirts as agitators protested for about two hours.

Superfast trains, including Janashatabdi Express, were stopped forcing other trains on the section to stop at different stations.

Sources said many trains on Chennai-Kolkata and Chennai-Hyderabad line were running behind schedule as they were stopped at Ongole, Chirala, Tenali, and Vijayawada.

Legislator K Gurunatha Reddy led protesters, who stopped trains on the Chennai-Bangalore section at Anantapur. The protesters burnt tyres on the track to stop trains besides blocking the station manager's chamber.

The New Delhi-Bangalore superfast express was among the trains stopped at Anantapur station for about two hours. Police did not use force on the directions of chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and DGP Prasada Rao.

In Prakasam, agitators burnt rubber bags and tyres on railway tracks near Chirala to spot trains on Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Delhi sections.

In Vizianagaram, protesters clashed with police as they attacked properties of Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and other Congress leaders besides stoning the district collector's office.

A Congress MP Harsha Kumar-run college in Rajahmundry was ransacked and its furniture and buses were damaged. Kumar's sons and their security guard clashed with the protestors as police could not control the situation. They were later arrested and booked.

A 35-year-old man suffered 75% burns as he set himself on fire to protest Telangana formation in Prakasam district.

The striking APGenco employees closed power plants hitting generation of 3,000 mw, which plunged over 300 villages in six coastal districts into darkness on Friday night.

They even tried to snap power supply to the railways to pressurize the Centre. Senior officials are closely monitoring the situation and trying to keep railway supply lines intact till the strike ends on Sunday morning.

Elsewhere in Seemandhra, a total bandh was observed for the second day as all commercial activities were halted.

A pair of special trains will be operated from Chennai Central to Santragachi (Kolkata) to clear the extra rush of passengers during the Dasara festival.Train No. 06007 Chennai Central – Santragachi special express will leave from Chennai Central at 7.50 a.m. on October 6 and 13 (Sundays) and reach Visakhapatnam at 8.35 p.m. the same day. It leaves at 8.55 p.m. and reaches Santragachi at 10.25 a.m. the following day (Monday).Train No. 06008 Santragachi (Kolkata) – Chennai Central special express will leave Santragachi at 7 p.m. on October 7 and 14 (Mondays) and reach Visakhapatnam the next day (Tuesdays) at 8.20 a.m.It leaves at 8.45 a.m. to reach Chennai Central at 10.45 p.m. the same day.

Train No. 06316 Ernakulam-Santragachi Special Express will leave Ernakulam on October 4 and 11 (Fridays) at 11 p.m. and reach Visakhapatnam at 00:10 hours on Sundays (midnight of Saturday) and leave at 12.30 a.m. and reach Santragachi the same day at 2.30 p.m.In the return direction, Train no. 06315 Santragachi-Ernakulam will leave Santragachi at 00.25 a.m. (midnight) on October 7 and 13 and reach Visakhapatnam at 2.15 p.m. the same day and reach Ernakulam the next day at 3.50 p.m.

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 movement of trains was interrupted on Bilaspur-Katni route for about six hours, after a minor landslide boulder and trees came on the railway track between Khodri and Bhanvartank stations under Bilaspur zone on the early hours on Friday.Two local trains were cancelled after the mishap while four long rout trains were delayed.According to railway authorities the incident occurred around 3.30 am on Friday morning.Due to downpour in the region a minor landslide occurred between the Khodari and Bhanvartank station both under Bilaspur region.Senior PRO Bilaspur railway division, Santosh Kumar talking with The Pioneer over phone informed that due to heavy rain showers some boulders and tress crashed on the railway track between the Khodari and Bhanvartank around 3.30 am.

Soon the railway officers were rushed to the spot and the blockade was cleared around 9 am. Railway officials informed that the Bilaspur-Katni local train (68747/68748) was suspended for the day.

Similarly train running between Bilaspur and Pendra road Bilaspur-Pendra Road-Bilaspur local (68740/68739) was also cancelled as a result of landslide.

The landslide affected movement of four major trains on this rout which were delayed for more than 3 hours. The Bhopal-Durg Amarkantak Express was delayed for about 1hours 44 minutes between Hirri and Pednra Road stations.

Similarly the Lucknow-Raipur Garibrath had to be delayed for 2 hours. Likewise, Ambikapur-Durg express was controlled for about 2 hours 20 minutes.

In the same way Amritsar-Visakhapatnam Hirakund Express was delayed for 3

hours 15 minutes.

Human/Equipment failure:
[B][URL=http://mumbailocaltraintimetable.net/Mumbai_Railway_Map.aspx]mumbai local train route[/URL][/B]
The following disasters/accidents may be caused by human/equipment
failure, which may affect normal movement of train services with loss of life or
property or both.
l. Collisions.
2. Fire on Train
3. Level crossing accidents at Manned/Unmanned Level Crossings
4. Derailments.
5.Miscellaneous
more: [url=http://mumbailocaltraintimetable.net]mumbailocaltraintimetable.net[/url]

The railway board has declared an increase in passenger fares in all mail and express trains by 2 per cent and freight tariff by 1.7 per cent. While the revised passenger fare will come into effect from October 7, the increased freight charge will be applicable from October 10.While travelling in chair car between Pune and Mumbai will cost passengers Rs 8 more, for a second-class journey, the fare has increased by Re 1.The II AC journey between Pune and Delhi will be dearer by Rs 40 and III AC journey will cost Rs 27 more. Passengers travelling in sleeper class will have to shell out Rs 6 more.This is the second increase in passenger fares this year after a 20 per cent hike in January.Harsha Shah of Railway Pravasi Group said that due to the increased expenses, the Indian Railway needs additional revenue and such hikes can be condoned if it comes with improved facilities for the passengers who will have to shell out more money."This is the third fare hike within a very short time and passengers will obviously feel burdened. However, if this hike means that the Pune Division will get additional infrastructure and facilities, then passengers will find not mind it. It is not done if they earn more money from this region and use it for conducting development work at other places," said Shah.

The movement of trains was interrupted on Bilaspur-Katni route for about six hours, after a minor landslide boulder and trees came on the railway track between Khodri and Bhanvartank stations under Bilaspur zone on the early hours on Friday.Two local trains were cancelled after the mishap while four long rout trains were delayed.According to railway authorities the incident occurred around 3.30 am on Friday morning.Due to downpour in the region a minor landslide occurred between the Khodari and Bhanvartank station both under Bilaspur region.Senior PRO Bilaspur railway division, Santosh Kumar talking with The Pioneer over phone informed that due to heavy rain showers some boulders and tress crashed on the railway track between the Khodari and Bhanvartank around 3.30 am.

Soon the railway officers were rushed to the spot and the blockade was cleared around 9 am. Railway officials informed that the Bilaspur-Katni local train (68747/68748) was suspended for the day.

Similarly train running between Bilaspur and Pendra road Bilaspur-Pendra Road-Bilaspur local (68740/68739) was also cancelled as a result of landslide.

The landslide affected movement of four major trains on this rout which were delayed for more than 3 hours. The Bhopal-Durg Amarkantak Express was delayed for about 1hours 44 minutes between Hirri and Pednra Road stations.

Similarly the Lucknow-Raipur Garibrath had to be delayed for 2 hours. Likewise, Ambikapur-Durg express was controlled for about 2 hours 20 minutes.

In the same way Amritsar-Visakhapatnam Hirakund Express was delayed for 3

hours 15 minutes.

They upload pictures of victims online, use software to match profiles of missing persons

Thousands of people whose bodies were found on railway track across Southern Railway remain unidentified. Of the 23,717 people who were found dead since 2003, the identity of as many as 9,118 is yet to be established.The victims, including hundreds of women, are suspected to have either committed suicide or had an accidental fall, though police do not rule out other possibilities.In many cases, the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition leaving only the clothes and identification marks for detection. Since bodies remained unclaimed, investigators preserved the skull or thigh bone and disposed them of with the help of NGOs. However, post-mortem and other mandatory formalities are carried out, police sources said.“A detailed investigation is done whenever a body is found on the railway track. Besides making enquiries in the locality, we send photographs to police headquarters in all States for verification. Wide publicity is given in the media…when a person is found missing, the family should also check with the railway police,” Additional Director-General of Police (Railways) R. Sekar said.

Going by statistics, in the last nine months alone 2,015 bodies were found on track of which 631 remain unidentified. In a number of cases, the victims were senior citizens.

“It is possible that they belong to some other state and came to Tamil Nadu on a pilgrimage or in search of employment. Death due to accidental fall or some other reason cannot be ruled out. Of late, we are coming across many cases of youth getting hit by trains between Chennai Egmore and Tambaram stretch,” a police official said.

ADGP/Director, State Crime Records Bureau, Asish Bengra said the photographs of missing persons and unidentified bodies were regularly updated on the police website.

“In 2012-13, more than 40 cases of missing persons were solved after family/friends of victims identified photographs on the website and informed the police,” he said.

The SCRB was using software developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to match the profile of missing persons with those of unclaimed or unidentified bodies.

“We have a web cell in all districts to do this profiling on a regular basis. The data is also shared with the National Crime Records Bureau for analysis at their end,” he said.

In a novel initiative, the Dharmapuri police organised camps where complaints in man/woman missing cases are shown photographs of unclaimed/unidentified bodies on large screens.

At least a dozen cases reported in Salem and Dharmapuri districts were solved when the complainants identified the deceased persons, police sources added.

Continued from Page1

On the MRTS stretch, Greenways Road, Kotturpuram and Chepauk stations present a similar picture with bus stops not being well connected to MRTS.On the suburban line, residents of Pazhavanthangal, Tambaram Sanatorium are tired of making representations. MRTS Velachery is a boon to hundreds of commuters as it has reduced dependence on MTC service, but connectivity to neighbourhood such as Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Adambakkam and Nanganallur remains poor. S. Vijayabhaskar, a resident of Vijaya Nagar, Velachery, recalls bus services that plied from Chindadripet to various localities. They, however, where discontinued once the MRTS station was opened. “Feeder services are essential and it is unfortunate that the MTC withdrew its services from the Chintadripet station because of poor usage within a short duration,” he says. At present, there are a few services from Velachery railway station on route number D70 (Ambattur Industrial Estate-Velachery R.S.), he adds.

Though the MRTS corridor is a failure on some counts, it offers important lessons for upcoming transports systems such as Metro Rail and Mono Rail on the need to provide infrastructure like ramps, skywalks, nearby bus stops and pedestrians walkways. Will mini buses provide some solution? It is what many residents are pinning their hopes on. “For long, there has been no connectivity for residents of Nanganallur. Commuters spend a minimum of Rs.50 per trip to reach Velachery, St. Thomas Mount and Pazhavanthangal stations,” says V. Rama Rao, secretary, Lakshmi Nagar Civic Welfare Association, Nanganallur. He says that Velachery and Pazhavanthangal stations should be connected with mini-buses as envisaged. At present, there are only a few buses for Nanganallur residents such as 52-L High Court-Nanganallur, M18-C T. Nagar-Keelkattalai and M1-Extn Kanathur-Nanganallur. While 52-L is ‘most infrequent,’ the other services are ‘unreliable’ too.

L. Sundararaman, president of Chitlapakkam Muthulakshmi Nagar Welfare Association, has made many representations to authorities to have inter-modal connectivity from Tambaram Sanatorium railway station to Chitlapakkam and Velachery Main Road. “In the absence of connectivity, thousands of commuters from Chitlapakkam depend on private vehicles to reach the railway station,” he says.

At a recent meeting held at Chitlapakkam, South Chennai, MP C. Rajendran and Animal Husbandry Minister T.K.M. Chinnaiya assured residents to consider operating mini buses in their locality once the State Government gives the final nod.

Passenger Trains Cancelled

BULLETIN NO: 1

        The following Passenger trains running o­n Vijayawada-Gudur-Renigunta sections are cancelled today i.e., 6th Oct, 2013, with a view to handle any situation arising out of possible break in power supply to Railways.
1)Train No. 67263 Vijayawada-Ongole Passenger departing Vijayawada at 08 00 hrs
2)Train No. 67257 o­ngole-Tenali Passenger departing o­ngole at 12 35 hrs
3)Train No. 67258 Tenali-Guntur departing Tenali at 16 30 hrs
4)Train No. 67260 o­ngole-Vijayawada departing o­ngole at 14 35 hrs
5)Train No. 67280 o­ngole-Gudur departing o­ngole at 09 40 hrs
6)Train No. 67279 Gudur-Ongole departing Gudur at 15 05 hrs
7)Train No. 57429 Tirupati-Gudur departing Tirupati at 06 30 hrs