'The nearby civilians helped us a lot in providing food, water and first aid.'
A thorough probe is underway, none of the authorities has so far talked about any possibility of a sabotage.
Revenue from freight operations also increased by 14 per cent to Rs 9,903 crore in September.
Getting into the groove, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday got a detailed presentation of the functioning and various aspects of the national transporter including its financial health.
Vicky Nanjappa profiles Narain Rao Manjunath, one of the key accused in the Railways bribery scandal.
'The Railway Board -- and every official in the ministry -- functions according to the whims and fancies of the Railway Minister,' former railways minister Dinesh Trivedi tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar in an exclusive interview. 'It is the system that needs to be changed. It has to go from a one person-oriented ministry to an organisation-oriented ministry. The system should be transparent.'
At present, Railways foots a bill of Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) in electric consumption.
UIDAI would issue unique identification numbers to the residents of the country based on the demographic and biometric data of the individual.
Passengers struggling with heavy luggage and senior citizens trying to make their way in the maze of crowded railway stations can now breathe easy as the Railways have decided to install 100 escalators in major stations.
The projects - Delhi-Varanasi, Mumbai-Nagpur, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Chennai-Mysore, Delhi-Amritsar, Mumbai-Hyderabad, and Varanasi-Howrah - are expected to cost around Rs 10 trillion.
A maximum of over 2,200 infections were reported by the South Central Railway, followed by 1,323 cases in the Central Railway, 1,307 in the Northern Railway, 1,145 in the Southern Railway and 1,013 cases in the East Central Railway.
The Western Railway is awaiting clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, for running trains on this high-speed corridor at 130 kmph which will help cut down travel time by atleast 30 minutes.
The Railway Board has decided to create over 5,000 posts and impart advanced training to Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to ensure security of passengers besides tackling terror threats.
'Under this amendment, in any dispute over Waqf properties, the Waqf Board cannot approach the court.' 'This is very surprising because the government instead of protecting Waqf properties they are snatching it away and not allowing them to go to court.' 'The third biggest landowner in India is the Waqf Board after the Indian Army and Indian Railways.'
The introduction of private players would mean that trains will be available on demand and that passenger waitlist will decrease.
Local trains have been off bounds for the general public since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Indian Railways said it would rope in home-grown talent to develop world-class stations as foreign consultants were charging exorbitant fees.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has shifted its focus back to Hindutva after suffering significant losses in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections. The party has been vocal about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and has taken a stance to "protect" a Hanuman Temple in Mumbai. Observers say this move is an attempt to regain its core voter base and counter the BJP's narrative on Hindutva, ahead of the upcoming civic polls. Analysts believe the party's "secular" stand may not be effective in the BMC elections and that its return to Hindutva is a sign of frustration from electoral setbacks.
'Today, let us reaffirm our commitment to strive to realise Gandhiji's dreams. His watchwords, truth and nonviolence, will continue to remain relevant for the whole world. He also taught us that rights and duties are but the two sides of the coin - indeed, the true source of rights is duty. Today we recall his lessons in compassion too - compassion not only for our human neighbours but also for our other neighbours, namely, flora and fauna, rivers and mountains.'
The train-tracking system is likely to be introduced by next month in Danapur division. According to railway sources, the system would be launch in other railways zones by next year.
The only time in recent history when the railways undertook such a move was in 2016-17 when four officers were prematurely retired.
'The rail network all across the state of Punjab is presently totally clear for uninterrupted movement of goods trains,' a home department statement said in Chandigarh. However, hours after the Punjab government's statement, the Railways accused it of 'misguiding' people over the extent of blockade of rail tracks in the state by the protesting farmers.
The huge quantity of scrap generated by Railways is now making way to manufacturing units for production of wheels, thanks to the innovation brought about in this field.
Indian Railways hopes to offer better services to its passengers through the use of the unique identification 'Aadhaar' numbers - the authentication provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
The railways is collaborating with various companies from Germany, South Korea, Japan and China to work out the fine prints.
While the TN Government Railway Police sleuths are questioning five passengers, the commissioner of railway safety commenced inquiry over the mishap in Madurai.
The Railways on Thursday ordered a high-level inquiry by the commissioner of rail safety into the train accident in Uttar Pradesh, which left 33 people dead and 17 injured.
Railway officials said important projects at crucial stages would now be stuck for a long time.
The clarifications came amid criticism over delays that the migrant trains were getting 'lost' before reaching their destinations. Till May 28, Yadav said, 3,840 Shramik Specials operated ferrying a total of 52 lakh passengers.
Under the plan, there will be 151 private trains covering 109 routes which may entail investments worth Rs 30,000 crore.
The recent fuel price hike, especially of the diesel, will increase the expenditure bill for the Indian Railways by about Rs 250 crore (Rs 2.5 billion).
The announcement came after marathon meetings held by the minister with senior railway board officials since Friday.
Globally, London's Tube and French railway networks are already using this technology in their corrosion-prone areas.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned former railway minister Pawan Bansal for questioning on Tuesday into the Railway bribery scam.
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra state governments had earlier approached the Railways Ministry to explore whether liquid medical oxygen tankers could be moved by the rail network, they said.
Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took charge as the sixth Minister of Railways in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's second term.
A day after taking the competitive medical exam, Meena on May 6 sent a text message to his parents saying that he did not want to study any further and was leaving home for five years, police had said.
It has also formed a committee which will examine the grievances of those who have passed the exams under different railway recruitment boards and those who have failed.
The minister said he was against "blanket privatisation of the railway system but the private sector was being encouraged to participate with the railways in the development of its non-core activities."
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is likely to be quizzed soon by the CBI in connection with the alleged Rs 10 crore bribery scandal involving his nephew V Singla and Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, both of whom reportedly met at his residence.
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