Rlys incurs loss of Rs 40 crore due to Gujjar stir

New Delhi, June 11: More than 1,000 trains were diverted, cancelled or short-terminated and over Rs 40 crore incurred in losses by the Railways during the 17 days of the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan and neighbouring states. It suffered losses mainly due to passenger ticket refunds and disruptions in freight services besides damage to railway tracks, a senior Railways Ministry official said.
While Delhi-Mumbai trunk route was the worst affected, Northern Railway and Western Railway suffered maximum losses due to the Gujjar agitation on Scheduled Tribe status, Railway statistics over the past 20 days indicate

Courtesy:expressindia.com

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Blast in Rajdhani Express in Assam

At least five people were killed and four injured on Thursday in a blast on the super-fast Rajdhani Express bound for Delhi from this Assam city. A shadowy adivasi insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

"Our cadres triggered the blast using a remote system and we shall continue with such attacks in the coming days," Dilip Beg, a top leader of the rag-tag Adivasi National Liberation Army (ANLA), told reporters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

A railway official said the blast took place around 1.05 am at the Rajdhani Express near Chungajan in Golaghat district, about 270 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

"Five people were killed and four others injured with the impact of the explosion hitting a portion of the luggage van of the train," T Rabha, chief spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railways, told reporters.

The ANLA leader said his group would not remain quiet until the government conferred Scheduled Tribe status to the adivasis in Assam that would bring in more rights and privileges for the community in the state.

"We have been forced to take up arms by the government and we shall not rest until our community gets special recognition like a scheduled tribe status," Beg said.

The train was not derailed and all other passengers were safe. The train originating from Dibrugarh in eastern Assam has since arrived in Guwahati, on way to New Delhi.
The blast, that rattled sleeping passengers, created panic.

"I presume the bomb was planted in the toilet of the parcel van. People started screaming and crying when the explosion took place," said Rajinder Singh, an army trooper, travelling in the
train

Courtesy:timesofindia.com
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competitive exams for filling vacancies in Railways: CAT

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has rejected a plea asking to do away with competitive examinations while filling up certain higher posts in Railways Secretariat.
Dismissing a petition of Railways Board Ministerial Staff Association (RBMSA), a CAT Bench of Justice M Ramachandran and Member Neena Ranjan held the petitioner has not been able to establish causes for its demand.

The RBMSA's contention that the vacancies, arisen due to restructure of Railways Board Secretariat service, should be filled up on the basis of promotions and seniority while limited departmental competitive examinations should be stopped, cannot be accepted, CAT said.
The Association, in its petition, had sought quashing of the Railways Ministry order of March nine, 2005 which prescribed holding of limited departmental competitive examinations to fill up posts.

The restructuring in the secretariat was done after taking note of various recommendations by a specially nominated committee constituted to look into matter

Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Railways minting money.....

While Railway Minister Lalu Prasad’s version of the Railway success story includes profits for the railways, no hike in tariff and a friendlier Indian Railways, the fine print is different.
Lalu’s schemes don't seem to care much for the UPA's aam aadmi. At least that's what his new, much touted tatkal scheme confirms.

So if you thought tatkal were tickets you booked during emergencies, five days in advance for an extra price, get your facts right.
Emergencies like accident, illness and even death can wait now. For the Railway Ministry, tatkal does not mean an emergency any more.

While the railways is now throwing open the tatkal quota for an extra price, it demands a two-month advance booking. So for those actually in a fix, tatkal is almost like a waiting list.

“Its a change we have made because the public wants it,” says MoS, Railways, N Rathwa.
So in the new scheme to be launched in a week's time, passengers with extra money can actually plan an emergency. For a higher price, all tatkal tickets can be sold out two months ahead of travel, leaving nothing for those who may really need it.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com
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To accommodate more passengers

Indian Railways plan to add a middle berth along the corridor of coaches in trains barring Rajdhani Express in order to accommodate more passengers and boost revenues.
This will be done in regular and air-conditioned sleeper berths.

Currently, a three-tier sleeper coach has only two side berths along the corridor. This allows both passengers to sit in separate seats facing each other without blocking the aisle. While a non-AC sleeper coach has total 72 berths, an AC three-tier coach has 64 berths.

However, the railway ministry is now working towards adding nine berths in non-AC sleeper coach and eight berths in AC three-tier coaches on the side by raising the upper berth and fit another berth in the middle. Fund has already been allocated and the retrofitting work will begin next month, Niraj Kumar, Executive Director, (coaching) said.

It would cost about Rs 1.5 lakh per coach to do the retrofitting work. "While the Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO) has approved the changed design, we have also got the safety clearance to go ahead with retrofitting work in 12,500 non-AC sleeper coaches and 1,500 AC coaches in our workshops," said Kumar.

Courtesy:The Times of India
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