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  Indian Railways News  / PM announces Rs.500 crore for flood-hit Assam

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday announced an aid package of Rs.500 crore for Assam, which has been severely hit by floods, causing an estimated 65 deaths and inundating large stretches of land, including cropland.The announcement came after the prime minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi undertook an aerial survey of some flood affected districts of the state Monday."The Rs.500 crore is sanctioned for immediate relief of the state. A central team has reached the state today (Monday) and will start assessing the total damage of the floods in the state and all the required financial assistance will be extended to the state government based on the assessment of the central team," said the prime minister, while reading out a statement before the media at LGBI International Airport near Guwahati.According to the state Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the floods, affecting all 27 districts of the state, killed at least 65 people till Sunday. Another 16 people were killed in the past two weeks due to landslides, caused by heavy flooding and incessant rainfall.The prime minister, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, also assured the state of efforts to restore the railway line in the Lumding-Badarpur Hill section of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).The railway ministry has already been instructed to take up immediate steps to restore the railway line as it is a lifeline for the people in Assam's Barak Valley, as well as neighbouring Mizoram and Tripura.

With the flood waters receding at some places, Manmohan Singh said the primary focus now would be on rescuing people who have been left marooned in flood-hit areas and providing relief to them.

The prime minister had earlier announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.1 lakh each to the relatives of those killed in floods and landslides. Besides, the state government will also pay Rs.2.5 lakh each to the relatives of the victims.

He also noted that over 700 army personnel, and 16 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising over 600 personnel and 71 boats, have been pressed into service for carrying out relief and rescue operations across the state.

"So far, a total of 4,000 people have been rescued across the state and 20 tonnes of relief material has been airlifted by the Air Force to help the marooned people," the prime minister added.

"A total of 4.84 lakh people, who have been rendered homeless by floods, have taken shelter in the 768 relief across the state. All the required help was given to the inmates of the relief camps," he said.

Manmohan Singh said that the state government has adequate stock of food grain but the central government will provide additional supplies of grain and other materials as and when required.

Meanwhile, Assam's opposition parties, including the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the package announced by the prime minister.

AIUDF leader and Leader of Opposition Sirajuddin Ajmal said that Rs.500 crore is not sufficient as immediate relief as there has been huge devastation and loss of human lives and property in the floods.

BJP state unit spokesman Santanu Bharali also echoed similar sentiments, and also criticised the response of the state government.

"With the waters starting to recede, now the major problem will start in the form of diseases. However, we have not seen any alertness on the part of the government to deal with the situations that normally arises after the floods," he said.

  Indian Railways News  / 'Another month to restore train services to Northeast'

Agartala/Silchar, July 2: Owing to enormous track damage, it would take at least a month more to restore train services between some Northeastern states and the rest of India, an official said on Monday. Railway services were suspended in the region on June 25 following heavy rain and landslides that damaged large stretches of railway track in Dima Hasao district.

“We are trying to resume both passenger and goods train services between Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam and the rest of India at the earliest. As the damage to tracks, bridges and adjoining areas is colossal it would not be possible to restore railway services within a month,” an official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) told media persons at Silchar.

“Engineers and railway workers led by senior officials of NFR’s Lumding division are working round-the-clock to clear the debris at many places Dima Hasao district. Huge mudslides covering more than 150 metres of rail track are being cleared.”

Tripura transport department secretary Kishore Ambuly said, “Due to intermittent and torrential rains restoration works are getting delayed and fresh landslides are taking place in and around mountainous areas.”

The landslides at about 90 places following incessant rains, have in some places washed away or damaged nearby surface roads in Dima Hasao District about 300 km from Guwahati.

Over 3,500 passengers in four trains, who were stranded for four days at three places on a single metre-gauge rail line in the region, have been rescued by railway and district administration personnel and sent onwards to their destinations.

The broad-gauge railway line from Guwahati passes through Dima Hasao district, which connects Tripura capital Agartala and parts of Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam with the rest of India by a single metre-gauge railway track.

The suspension of train services has severely hit supply of essential commodities and food grains, sending prices soaring.

“The Tripura food and civil supplies department has in separate letters requested the Food Corporation of India and the union ministry of food and civil supplies to ensure immediate stocks of essentials, specially rice,” an official of the Tripura government said. In June-July 2010, railway traffic was disrupted for 34 days after a 300-metre track between Harangajao and Mailongdisa, 78 km from southern Assam’s main city, Silchar, was washed away by heavy landslides.

  Indian Railways News  / Schedule of new trains announced

PUNE: The railways have announced the schedule of some of the new trains leaving from Nanded, Solapur and Kolhapur. All these trains had been announced in the railway budget in March, this year. A new Nanded-Patna-Amritsar train will facilitate rail travel to important places of Sikh pilgrimage.The train named as 'Guru Parikrama' special, which will run once a week, is to be introduced later. From Solapur, a new tri-weekly train to Yesvantpur in Bangalore will go via Gulbarga. In addition, the frequency of the 16535/16536 Solapur-Yesvantpur train will be increased from three to seven days. The frequency of the Kolhapur-Hyderabad train will be increased from two to seven days. A new tri-weekly train between Pandharpur and Shirdi will be introduced soon.Another new daily train between Nanded and Adilabad is also to be introduced soon. The train will leave Nanded at 3 pm and reach Adilabad at 7.30 pm. From Adilabad, the train will leave at 7.30 am and reach Nanded at 12 noon. The Nanded-Patna-Amritsar train will leave Nanded every Wednesday at 11 am. From Amritsar, the train will leave on every Monday at 2.30 pm. Another train leaving from Nanded to Sri Ganganagar will run thrice a week instead of the earlier schedule of twice a week.The Solapur-Yeswantpur train (via Gulbarga) will leave Solapur every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.20 pm. From Yeshwantpur, the train will leave every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8.50 pm.

  Indian Railways News  / Miscreants have a free run at stations, on trains

Goons allegedly assaulting women passengers on the Pune-Solapur Intercity Express last week has once again brought to fore the issue of lack of security on express and local trains, besides the station premises of the Pune division of the railways.Commuter organisations point out that despite several untoward incidents reported in the past, the railway administration has failed to provide security to passengers, in some instances to its own staff. The glaring lack of security was highlighted by an incident on May 17 when a stationmaster working with Pimpri Railway Station was beaten up by a couple of anti-social elements in his own cabin. Another stationmaster with Pune station lost his own wallet to pickpockets when he travelled by train last month, sources revealed. Lack of security has also given a free run to criminals on the station premises. Two months back, a little girl was kidnapped from a Pune station platform.Regular commuters and representatives of commuter groups blame the Government Railway Police (GRP), the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the overall administration of Pune Division of the Central Railway (CR) for lack of security.“The GRP has failed to meet its basic duty of providing protection to passengers and their belongings on trains and at stations. Numerous incidents at the station go unreported. Thieves, goons and pickpockets do not seem to have any fear of police, as many a time they are believed to be hand-in-glove with policemen. The current state of affairs is such that it is best to advise passengers to remain alert and take care of their belongings themselves as depending on GRP will go in vain,” said Harsha Shah, president of the Railway Pravasi Group.According to sources at Pune Division of CR, the security scenario had taken a turn for the worse owing to severe shortage of GRP and RPF staff.“GRP men should be present on trains at night. This leaves few personnel at the station that could result in incidents like that on May 17, when a stationmaster was beaten up,” said an official requesting anonymity.But according to passengers, staff shortage aside, the railway police and the railway administration not nabbing miscreants has emboldened them resulting in a spurt in such incidents.“Presence of policemen on trains is hardly a deterrent for miscreants. I have seen commuters catching a pickpocket and handing them over to police, but they just let him go. It would appear they may be taking a cut from the thieves,” alleged Ratnakar Gangarde, a regular Pune-Mumbai passenger.According to commuters, Pune station is particularly vulnerable to illegal activities because of multiple, unguarded entry points providing easy access and exits for criminals.“Around 260 trains pass through Pune station everyday and thousands of passengers use the station. Lack of security is dangerous for them. The station is in fact like a Dharamshala where anybody can come and reside for free,” said Shah.

  Indian Railways News  / कमल चौहान को मिली राहत

चंडीगढ़ : समझौता एक्सप्रेस ब्लास्ट मामले के सह आरोपी कमल चौहान को पंजाब एवं हरियाणा हाईकोर्ट ने राहत देते हुए एनआईए कोर्ट द्वारा जारी आदेश को रद कर दिया है। कमल चौहान ने हाईकोर्ट में पंचकूला की नेशनल इन्वेस्टीगेशन एजेंसी (एनआईए) की विशेष अदालत द्वारा नौ मई को जारी आदेशों के खिलाफ अर्जी दायर की थी। कमल चौहान 90 दिन की हिरासत में था। उसकी 90 दिनों की हिरासत 11 मई को समाप्त हो गई थी। इससे ठीक दो दिन पहले नौ मई को एनआईए की विशेष अदालत ने चौहान की हिरासत की अवधि को 90 दिनों से बढ़ाकर 180 दिन कर दिया था। इसी फैसले के खिलाफ चौहान ने हाईकोर्ट में अपील दायर की थी। मंगलवार को सुनवाई के दौरान हाईकोर्ट ने एनआईए कोर्ट के आदेश को रद किया। सुनवाई के दौरान एनआईए के सीनियर स्टै¨डग कौंसिल सुखदीप ¨सह संधू ने चौहान की अर्जी पर अपना जवाब दायर करते हुए बताया कि अभी इस पूरे मामले में देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों में जाच जारी है व सबूत इकट्ठे किए जा रहे है। इसलिए चौहान की हिरासत की अवधि को बढ़ाया गया है और इस मौके पर चौहान को छोड़ा नही जा सकता। चौहान के वकील ने कोर्ट को बताया कि 90 दिन से अधिक समय बीत जाने के बाद भी कोर्ट ने उसका पक्ष एक बार भी नही सुना और ट्रायल शुरू नहीं को सका है। दोनों पक्षों को सुनने के बाद कोर्ट ने चौहान की अर्जी स्वीकार करते हुए एनआईए कोर्ट को निर्देश दिया कि वह दस दिन के भीतर इस मामले में सुनवाई कर चौहान का पक्ष सुनें व निर्णय लें।