RailEnquiry

  Indian Railways News  / Odisha shutdown hits normal life; around 200 arrested

Around 200 protesters on Monday were taken into custody for picketing near government offices and other place during a state-wide bandh which disrupted train and road traffic and hit normal life.The bandh has been called by Congress against alleged police crackdown on partymen during a rally on September 6. More than a dozen trains were stopped at several railway stations including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Berhampur and Sambalpur as bandh supporters staged dharna on the tracks, a spokesman of East Coast Railway (ECoR) said.Vehicular movement virtually came to a grinding halt in many parts of the state as passenger buses, trucks and auto-rickshaw remained off the roads, police sources said.A large number of passengers were seen stranded at railway stations and bus stands at many places, while roads wore a deserted look during the one-day shut-down. City bus services in many places like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri were suspended.Shops, business establishments and commercial centres downed their shutter in major areas including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Balasore, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Rourkela, Baripada, Bhadrak and Angul, sources said.Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained shut in most areas.Around 200 Congress supporters including some party leaders were taken into custody in places like Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Cuttack while picketing near government offices and other places to enforce the bandh, called in protest against alleged crackdown by police during a party rally at MG Road on September 6, sources said.

Elaborate security arrangements were made by the police with heavy deployment of force throughout the state to prevent any untoward incident during the shut-down.

"The situation is peaceful and no untoward incident has so far been reported from any part of the state. We are keeping a close vigil," a senior police official said. In the state capital, about 51 platoons of force (around 1700 personnel) have been deployed at different places while strict vigil is maintained near government buildings, vital installations and other sensitive locations.

"Our bandh call has evoked overwhelming support from the public. It is peaceful and complete success," said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik.

"It shows people are against the BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik," he said.

  Indian Railways News  / Floating restaurant set for a makeover

Fatehgarh Sahib: Once a tourist attraction, the Bougainvillea Floating Restaurant at Sirhind on the Delhi-Amritsar national highway is in a dilapidated condition. No restoration work has been carried out for the past many years.The foundation stone of the restaurant was laid by the late Giani Zail Singh on July 22, 1976. The restaurant had night-stay facilities but all its eight rooms have been closed now.A part of the restaurant resting on steel tubes and floating in the Bhakra waters has been weakened with rust.The roof of the restaurant, made of steel sheets, has corroded as it has not been given a fresh coat of paint since years. The roof starts leaking even after a drizzle.The Delhi-Lahore bus daily halts at the restaurant to help passengers take breakfast or lunch.The restaurant, earlier under the control of the Punjab Tourism Corporation, was later handed over to the Punjab Heritage Tourism Promotion Board.Sources say the restaurant is expected to be renovated soon. It will be run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in collaboration with the Punjab Government.One of the managers at the restaurant said that estimates for the renovation work had already been sent to the higher authorities.A group of employees, pleading anonymity, said they had received their salary through a contractor. They said they were being forced to sign on a paper, showing higher remuneration.

  Indian Railways News  / PIL filed for entrusting Kochi Metro work to DMRC

Kochi: A PIL seeking to entrust the work of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the foundation stone of which will be laid by Prime Minister in Kochi on September 13, was filed on Monday in the Kerala High Court.The petitioner, P P Padmanabhan, secretary of an NGO, complained that no steps had been taken so far by the concerned authorities for land acquisition or to issue notification for land acquisition.Petitioner sought for a direction to entrust the commissioning and implementation of the project to DMRC in a time bound manner.

  Indian Railways News  / Goods train derails in Kota

Kota: Four wagons of a goods train derailed in Bharatpur Railway Station Yard on the Mumbai-Delhi railway route, railway officials said Monday.

However, railway traffic on the track was unaffected due to the derailment that took place yesterday.

Restoration work is on at the site with three wagons being removed from the track till late last evening.

DRM, Kota Railway Division, N Madhusudhan Rao said four wagons of a goods train carrying bags of cement derailed on Mumbai-Delhi railway track.

Rao said an inquiry would be conducted to find out the reasons for the derailment.

  Indian Railways News  / Railways’ caution on buying e-tickets

Railways have asked the passengers not to buy e-tickets issued between 8 a.m. and 12 noon from agents.If anyone is found travelling with e-tickets issued by agents between 8 a.m. and 12 noon, penal action will be initiated under the Railways Act and the tickets will be cancelled. The website,www.irctc.co.in, is open exclusively for individual users from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, according to Railways.The passengers should verify whether the agent outlets are authorised before booking e-tickets. The details of authorised agent outlets are available on the IRCTC website. The passengers have been asked to fill up the booking/cancellation request and insist that the mobile number is fed into the system correctly. An SMS will reach the mobile number from IRCTC immediately as confirmation of booking. This SMS serves as a valid ticket which can be shown to the TTE along with the proof of identity (in original) during travel. A printout is not necessary. If a printout is taken, it should be ensured that the name, address and contact number of the principal agent is printed on it. The passengers have been asked to insist on a receipt for bookings/cancellations.e-tickets can be cancelled through the same agent outlet without any additional service charge. If the agent demands more than the prescribed service charges, complaint can be lodged atagentcomplaint@irctc.co.in(011-23475962) orcare@irctc.co.in(011-39340000).