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  Indian Railways News  / MMRDA begins work on Santacruz over bridge

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Monday started construction of the steel bridge over the Western Railway tracks at Santacruz, Mumbai. With the first 20-meter long girder launched in the wee hours of Sunday, the current phase of the project is considered critical for completing the long pending Milan Rail Over Bridge (MROB). “The Milan subway is an area prone to flooding and after every monsoon, it has proved to be a curse for the the people seeking east-west connectivity, due to the resultant traffic chaos. Considering the fact that the entire 61-meter long bridge will be launched over seven railway tracks on the Western Railway, this is a significant development,” Joint Project Director (Public Relations), MMRDA, Dilip Kawathkar said. The launching of the largest span without support over the railway tracks was possible after a successful meeting with the railway authorities concerning operational blocks and launching scheme for the girder. The 61-meter long steel bridge was constructed in Bidar, Karnataka. The 700-meter long MROB is being constructed at Rs 83.74 crores and is slated to help motorists travelling from the Eastern suburbs to the Western suburbs in the island city.

  Indian Railways News  / Ludhiana Metro: DPR ready, but where are the funds?

The revised detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed Ludhiana Metro Rail has been approved by the Punjab government. But it is still to be forwarded to the centre for the further follow up action as the state government, as well as the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) have not been able to spell the sources from where the funds of more than Rs 10,000 crore would be raised to translate the dream of metro rail into reality.Highly placed sources in the Local Government department revealed that the Principal Secretary, Local Government and the PIDB top brass have held a series of meetings to find ways and means to raise the required funds. “But the exercise is still on and a final decision is expected to be taken later this week,” the sources said.It was learnt that the DPR submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the officials consultants to the project, had suggested two modalities of funding.Either the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up for this purpose raises the funds at its own vehicle in which case the major part of funds will come from the Punjab government and the centre. Partial funding can also be obtained in this case from bank loans.In the other modality, the project can be handed over to the private sector for execution on BOT (build, operate and transfer).

Senior government officials are of the view that given the precarious financial condition of the government, it would be very difficult, if not impossible for the state government to create resources for the mega project at its own level.

“Any fresh burden of taxes or cess to raise money for the metro rail, will ultimately have to be borne by the urban population which does not seem practicable in the prevailing economic scenario and the compulsions of the coalition dharma,” commented a senior officials on the condition of anonymity.

  Indian Railways News  / Katra railway station to be commissioned by March

Jammu: The Katra railway station would be operational by March next year helping connect the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Trikuta hills to other parts of the state."Railway station Katra would be made operational by March 2013", Naresh Chand Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager, Firozpur Division Northern Railway informed in a meeting.      Around 14 passenger trains would run on the Udhampur-Katra route which is expected to meet the heavy influx of passengers, he added.Goyal informed that the Ground Floor at Railway Station Katra would include current reservation, IInd Class booking, enquiry section, pilgrim guide tourist assistance, VIP lounge, Cloak Room, waiting hall, book stall, tea stall, toilet blocks and catering area and the first floor would accommodate 8 retiring rooms and a cafeteria.Taking stock of the services at Railway Station Katra for a smooth and comfortable journey, various issues were discussed, which included shifting of bus stand of Katra, parking of vehicles and other facilities.The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pradeep Gupta directed the Deputy Commissioner, Reasi, to ensure that no illegal construction and encroachment would erupt nearby Katra Railway Station and construction would be executed strictly according to Katra Master Plan.He stressed on the traffic authorities to prepare a decongestion plan for smooth regulation of traffic in Katra.

Issues of proper parking facilities at Railway Station Katra, regular water and power supply matters were also discussed in the meeting.

  Indian Railways News  / Revenue loss for railways due to shortage of TTEs - The Times of India

TRICHY: The shortage of Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) in Tiruchchirappalli railway division has been disconcerting for a long time. The issue paves the way for ticket-less travel, causing revenue loss to the railways. In addition, passengers and TTEs too are affected. Tiruchchirappalli railway division has nearly 420 TTEs, but the number is not enough to man around 20 Express trains originating from Trichy. As a consequence of the manpower shortage, TTEs are forced to take care of more than four coaches on an Express train instead of their actual duty of two coaches. According to TTEs, the additional workload causes stress to them and as a result, they are unable to concentrate on the additional coaches. A TTE on condition of anonymity told TOI, "Most of the trains start late night. We have to verify all tickets in the four coaches before passengers sleep. When we disturb them for ticket verification, they get angry. On the other hand, most tickets go unverified. Moreover, we cannot provide assistance to passengers in case of an emergency. We are liable for departmental action if passengers lodge complaints." The shocking news is that unverified tickets are submitted for cancellation after the journey. The trend has been increasing recently, causing revenue loss to the railways. There are five squad teams comprising 10 TTEs and an inspector each in Tiruchirappalli division. However, most of the time, the TTEs in the squad are deputed as regular TTEs. So, their usual duty of checking is affected in both platforms and in trains. A Charles, assistant divisional secretary of Dakshina Railway Employees Union (DREU), Tiruchchrappalli division, said, "The recruitment of TTEs did not take place for a long time despite a huge number of TTEs retiring in Southern Railways. We made a number of representations to the ministry, but all went in vain." A senior TTE said, "The problem will aggravate in the next year following retirements of many employees in the Tiruchchirappalli division. The railways should take the matter into consideration and appoint sufficient TTEs."

  Indian Railways News  / 1 दिसंबर से नॉन एसी डिब्बों में भी आईडी प्रूफ के साथ करें ट्रेन में सफर

फरीदाबाद। ट्रेन में सफर करने वाले यात्रियों को 1 दिसंबर से अपनी पहचान के प्रति अलर्ट रहना होगा। रेलवे ने अब नॉन एसी डिब्बों में भी फोटो आईडी प्रूफ दिखाना अनिवार्य कर दिया है।रेलवे अधिकारिक सूत्रों के अनुसार अगर यात्री पर टिकट है और फोटो आईडी नहीं है, तो टिकट की जुर्माना राशि के तहत जुर्माना भी देना पड़ सकता है।


गौरतलब है कि दिल्ली-एनसीआर में टिकट दलालों का अधिक बोलबाला है। इसके चलते यात्रियों को कनफर्म टिकट लेने में खासी परेशानियों का सामना करना पड़ता है। ओल्ड फरीदाबाद आरक्षण केंद्र पर रोज 5 हजार लोग आरक्षण कराते हैं, जबकि ओल्ड फरीदाबाद स्टेशन से रोज 32 हजार लोगों का अवागमन होता है।


यहां पर हमेशा यात्रियों को टिकटों के आरक्षण कराने के वक्त वेटिंग का सामना करना पड़ता है। रेलवे उच्चाधिकारियों के अनुसार फरीदाबाद में ही रेलवे के 70 के करीब रजिस्टर्ड एजेंट हैं। जो ई-टिकट आरक्षण को लेकर बैठे हैं। 26 से 30 के करीब टिकट दलाली करने वाले सक्रिय हैं। आईआरसीटीसी के मुताबिक 2.5 लाख एजेंट पहले ही कनफर्म टिकट झटक लेते हैं। ऐसी समस्याओं से लोगों को निजात दिलाने को रेलवे ने एक साल के अंदर काफी बदलाव किए। इसके तहत ही पहले एसी डिब्बों में आईडी प्रूफ की प्रक्रिया को लागू कर डेमो किया गया था। जिससे एसी डिब्बों के यात्रियों को काफी राहत मिली थी। अब इसे नॉन एसी डिब्बों में भी लागू किया जा रहा है।

अब तक किए गए बदलाव
रेलवे ने तत्काल में आईडी प्रूफ, एसी में आईडी प्रूफ और ऑनलाइन टिकट रिजर्वेशन की सुविधा में भी आईडी मान्य की है।ऑनलाइन में एक व्यक्ति अपनी आईडी से महीने में 8 टिकट ही रिजर्व करा सकता है।


यह दिखाना होगा
सफर के दौरान
वोटर आईडी कार्ड, ड्राइविंग लाइसेंस,  पैन कार्ड, पासपोर्ट या फिर कोई फोटो आईडी जिससे आपकी पहचान संभव हो।

॥एक दिसंबर से नॉन एसी डिब्बों में सफर करने वाले लोगों को भी फोटो आईडी दिखाना जरूरी किया गया है। इससे रेलवे में बढ़ती कनफर्म टिकट न मिलने की परेशानी को काफी हद तक काबू किया जा सकेगा।
नीरज शर्मा, सीपीआरओ नॉर्दर्न रेलवे