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Editorial CorrespondenceEDITOR, Indian Railways,

Room No. 411, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi-110001.

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Unless specifically mentioned, the articles and

statements published in this journal do not

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Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)

COVER : Photographs of India's Longest Electrified Rail Tunnel between

Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations in South Central Railway

Editorial Board Issue Contains _ _ _ _ _ _

Editorial Assistance Prashant Kumar Pattnaik

Business CommunicationsPrashant Kumar Pattnaik

Business Manager Indian Railways, Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan,

New Delhi-110001. Tel : 47845378, 45378 (Rly.).

Email : [email protected]

October 2019

Vol. 63 No. 7INDIAN RAILWAYS

Railways Adjudged as the Best Ministry for Implementation of Swachhata... 11President of India Awarded Railway Sportspersons 12Vice President of India Flags Off Gudur-Vijayawada Intercity Superfast Express and Dedicates India's Largest Electrified Rail Tunnel 14Shri Piyush Goyal Flags Off New Passenger Train No. 53561/53562... 15Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Flags Off, Inaugurates... 15Shri Piyush Goyal Reviews Progress of DFCCIL Project 16Railway Minister Felicitates National Award Winning Railway Sportspersons 17Shri Piyush Goyal, along with Railway Board Officials Conducts... 18Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Presents Swachh Mahotsav Award... 19Minister of State of Railways Expresses Satisfaction over Infrastructure... 20Minister of State of Railways Flags Off 275th Electric Locomotive ‘WAP-7’ 21Indian Railways Signs MoU with Confederation of Indian Industries... 21Shri Suresh C Angadi Reviews Tirupati Railway Station Redevelopment... 22Inauguration of Tatisilwai-Shanki New Line and Flagging Off of... 22Minister of State of Railways Conducts Inspection of 3rd Coaching... 23New Amenities & Facilities Inaugurated in Asansol Division 24Meeting with Governor of AP and Chief Secretary 24Meeting with Members of Parliament... 24-25A Special Postal Cover Released Celebrating the Rich... 25Indian Railways Launches Massive Shramdaan Across the Country 26Chairman, Railway Board was Awarded with Eminent Engineers Award 26Mega Vendor Meet 2019 to Expand Vendor Base and Spread Information... 2634th Governing Council Meeting 27Indian Railways has Observed “Swachhta-Hi-Seva Pakhwada” ... 28Indian Railways Extends Support for Giving a Boost to Economy... 28New General Managers of Central, North Western, Southern and South Eastern Rlys., Rail Wheel Factory, Rail Coach Factory, Modern Coach Factory 30-32News Bulletin 34Infographics 36Report from NFR : NFR’S “Plan BEE” Wins the Best Innovation Award... 39Report from SCR : Facilities for Persons with Disabilites – ‘Divyangjan’ 39Report from SCR : Head-On-Generation (HOG) System - A New Technology... 41Report from WR : Western Railway Prepares Action Plan... 41Zonal Railways News 44Production Unit News 60Cleaner DLW : Greener DLW Rashmi Goel 62Convergence of MGNREGS with Railways Pratham Agrawal 65Old Is Odd N. Subramanian 67Hill Station Train Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - DHR Anil K. Saxena 69The Home Antique Collector Ravindra Bhalerao 71The Great Nalanda-Past and Present Radha Kant Bharati 73

Ministry of Railways was adjudged as the best Ministry for implementation of

Swachhata Action Plan for 2018-19. On this event Chairman/Railway Board has

received Swachhata Award from President of India. The best Swachh Iconic Place Award

was conferred to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai (CSTM), Central

Railway under the Swachh Bharat Mission initiative.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways has urged employees of Railways to make

cleanliness an organizational culture. Indian Railways has been observing Swachhata Hi

Sewa Pakhwada across its entire network from 11th September to 2nd October. Vice-

President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu flagged off Intercity Superfast Express and

dedicated India’s longest Electrified Rail Tunnel at Obulavaripalli near Tirupati to the

Nation. Indian Railways has announced various freight incentive measures to extend

support for giving boost to the economy. Indian Railways has signed Memorandum of

Understanding with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for facilitation of green

initiatives in Railways. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Railways, Shri

Suresh C. Angadi, expressed his happiness that 50 Railway Units including Workshops and

PUs, 12 Railway stations and 16 more buildings have already achieved green certification.

The fare structure of Humsafar Express train loaded with all modern facilities has been

rationalized thereby reducing both base fare and tatkal carges. Railways has undertaken

one more drive ‘Massive Sharamdan’ on 17th September, 2019 with mass focus on collection

of plastic waste and distribution of cloth bags for the purpose of housekeeping.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways has flagged off new passenger train between

Dumka and Poreyahat in Jharkhand. He has also felicitated National Award winners in

sports from Indian Railways. MoU has been signed with Government of Odisha to develop

Bhubaneswar station in East Coast Railway as a multi-model transport hub.

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman/Railway Board, has been awarded with Eminent

Engineers Award on 52nd Engineers’ Day for his outstanding contribution in the field of

Engineering.

New General Managers of Central, North Western, Southern and South Eastern Zonal

Railways and Rail Wheel, Rail Coach and Modern Coach Factories have assumed their

charges in the month of September, 2019. This Magazine conveys best wishes for their

new assignments. This Issue also contains news from Zonal Railways and Production Units

along with various informative articles from eminent writers. ¥


E d i t o r i a l

zz President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind Presented Swachhata Awards

zz The Best Swachh Iconic Place Award is given to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST)

zz Mumbai Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Initiative.

zz Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industries Shri Piyush Goyal urged all in the Railways to Make Cleanliness an Organisational Culture

Railways Adjudged as the Best Ministry for Implementation of Swachhata Action Plan for 2018-19

The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented an award

to Indian Railways as the best Ministry for implementation of Swachhata action plan for 2018-19. Chairman, Railway Board Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav received the award on behalf of the Indian Railways on 6th September, 2019. The President of India also presented the best Swachh iconic Place award to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), Mumbai under the Swachh Bharat Mission initiative. The three best stations as per Cleanliness Ranking Survey for 2018 i.e. Jodhpur, Jaipur & Tirupati were also awarded.

Indian Railways placed all the required resources for swachhata and they are yielding results. The Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industries Shri Piyush Goyal has perpetually been persuading all Railway officials to make cleanliness an organisational culture.

Recently the Minister directed all Railway officials to observe a special 10 days cleanliness drive for trains and stations starting 2nd September, 2019. These perpetual drives are also monitored by uploading of selected photographs on E-Drishti and the Minister’s dashboard.

Such feedback from commuters’ is further used to promote cleanliness campaign of railways, which together is the biggest service pro vi si oning public place in the co untry. Indian Railways had spent about 3000 crore rupees on cle anliness drives on its various properties during 2018-19.

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board regularly conducts meetings with General Managers of Zonal Railways via

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav receiving Swachhata Award on behalf of Indian Railays from Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Also seen are Shri Shekhawat and Shri Kataria

video confere ncing to discuss Swacchata subject also. After the awards ceremony Shri Yadav congratulated all the General Managers and DRMs for the recogni tion that they have bro ught to Indian Railways as the best Ministry in Swachh Mohatsav Awards.

Shri Yadav also discussed with them measures to further improve clean liness on the trains and stations. ¥

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav along with Swachhta awardee officers of Indian Railways

October 2019 11

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Swachhata Award

Railway Sports Promotion Board, a Sports Arm of Indian Railways

has been playing a vital role in promotion of sports both at do-mestic as well as international level.

In the month of August, 2019, Railway Sports Promotion Board has been relentlessly working as repository of best sporting talents in India. Its athletes and supporting staffs are excelling in International Arena and bringing glory to the Nation every now and then. With its tagline, ‘Think Sports, Think Railways’, Railway Sports Promotion Board has been stressing upon ide-nti fying and providing job oppo-rtunities to the best talents of the country. Simultaneously, Railway Sports Promotion Board has been arranging best training facilities to its athletes and help them realize and expose their full potential. All along, Railway Sports Promotion Board strives to enable the Railway Sportspersons to be internationally competitive. Indian Railways is today known as one of the best Sporting Institution of the Nation.

Indian Railways has a long tradition of having renowned sp-orts persons on its rolls. So far, 23 Padmashree, 166 Arjuna, 11 Dhyanchand, 9 Dronacharya and 6 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards have been conferred on Indian Railway sportspersons. In latest edition of the same, following Railway sportspersons were felici-tated with National Sports Awards. The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind awarded the Railway Sportspersons in New Delhi on 29 August, 2019. zzzShri Bajrang Punia (Wrestling)

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna AwardzzzShri S. Baskaran (Weightlifting)

Arjuna AwardzzMs. zSonia Lather (Boxing) Arjuna AwardzzzShri Chinglensana Singh

Kangujam (Hockey) Arjuna Award

zzMs. zPoonam Yadav (Cricket) Arjuna Award

President of India Awarded Railway SportspersonszzzShri Nitten Kirrtane

Dhyanchand AwardIndian Railways participation in

national and international sports events during August-September 2019.

All India Railway ChampionshipNational

Indian Railways Powerlifting teams won 44th Senior National Pow er lifting (Men & Women) Championships at Cooch Behar, West Bengal held from 20 to 24 August, 2019.International

Indian Railway Volleyball Men team won the 17th USIC (World Railway) Volleyball Championship help at Albena, Bulgaria from 24 to 29th August, 2019. In the final Match IR team beat Belarus 3:1 sets. In the said championship, IR players performance was rema rkable as it beat all the teams by without losing even a single set in any Match. Indian Railways Athletics team (Men & Women) participated in World Railways (USIC) Athletics Championship 2019 held at Trutnov, Czech Republic from 10 to 13 September, 2019. Indian Railway athletes won both the cham pion-ships in Men & Women categories.

World Police & Fire GamesLady Constable Ms. Manju Malik

and Constable Shri Mahender Kumar Gurjar (both RPF) participated in the 2019 World Police & Fire Games at Chengdu, Sichuan, China from July 28th to August 6th, 2019. Ms. Malik won Gold medal in Free Style Wrestling in 75 Kg. category and Bronze medal in Judo 78 Kg. category. Shri Mahender Kumar Gurjar won Silver medal in Greeco-Roman 85 Kg. and Bronze Medal in Free Style Wrestling 86 Kg. category.

Shri Bajrang Punia Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Born in Khundan village of Haryana, Shri Bajrang Punia began

wrestling at the age of seven and was encouraged to pursue the sports by his father.

He became world number 1 wrestler in 65 kg weight category by the age of around 24 years. He is recipient of Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri Bajrang Punia has two world championship medals under his belt. From 2017 till now, Shri Bajrang has won Asian Championship gold and bronze, a Commonwealth Games gold, an Asian Games gold and also World Championship Medals.

Shri S. BaskaranArjuna Award

Shri Baskaran comes from a very humble background where his father did odd jobs for living.

Shri Baskaran defied the odds, overcame challenges and emerged as a winner. He won Gold Medals in the World Body Building Championship 2018 in Thailand and Asian Body Building

Padma Shree Award (File Photo)


CENTRAL NEWS

Railway Sports

Championship 2018 in India. He was awarded with title of Mr.

India three times with Gold medal and also won Silver medal once.

He stood fourth in the World Body Building Championship 2016 in Thailand and had won Gold at South Asia 2003 in India.

Ms. Sonia LatherArjuna Award

remarkable performances and his exemplary dedication in the field of sports. Shri Chinglensana represented India in Commonwealth Games 2014 in which Indian Hockey team won Silver medal.

He represented India in the prestigious Asian Games 2014 where Indian Men's Hockey team won Gold. In Asian Games 2018, he was member of Bronze medal winning Indian Hockey team.

He represented the country in Rio Olympic games 2016.

He has been representing Indian Railways at national level for the last eight years and started representing India at international level since 2014.

Ms. Poonam YadavArjuna Award

Internationals in September 2018 with 57 wickets from 39 T-20ies.

Shri Nitten KirrtaneDhyanchand Award

Born in Jind district of Haryana state. She initially tried her hands at Kabaddi and wrestling then started playing boxing when she was 18 years old. She won silver medal in AIBA women’s World Boxing Championship in 2016. She represented India in Asian games 2018. Having two Asian Cham-pionship medals to her name, Ms. Lather became National Champion twice in Senior National Boxing Championships in 2017 & 2018 in feather weight representing Indian Railways.

Shri Chinglensana Singh KangujamArjuna Award

Shri Chinglensana has been awarded with Arjuna Award for his

Ms. Poonam Yadav is a Arjuna Award winning Women Cricket player. After joining Eklavya stadium in Agra in 2007, she captained the Uttar Pradesh side that won Under-19 Cricket Championship in 2010.

She made her debut in Interna-tional cricket in 2013 in Women's Twenty-Twenty International match against Bangladesh.

Ms. Yadav was part of the Indian team who reached the final of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup.

In June 2018, she was one of the top five in T-20 rankings and came.

She was named in India's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty-Twenty tourna ment in the West Indies.

She became India's highest wicket-taker in Twenty-Twenty

Shri Nitten Kirrtane has made exemplary contribution to the Indian Tennis in his illustrious career spanning over 4 decades.

He brought 9 international medals to India during his playing career. He has been India’s Number one for quite long.

Nitten has achieved at every level.

He was runner-up with Mahesh Bhupati in Junior Wimbledon.

He was Bronze medalist of Asian Games.

He is SAF Games medalist both in Chennai and Dhaka.

He was member of Indian tennis team for 6 times in Davis Cup.

He has been champion in Men’s National Championships for four times and also won championship for 12 times in Men’s Doubles.

He has been a champion of ITF Men’s Singles for two times.

Shri Nitten Kirrtane has been champion of ITF Men’s Doubles for 13 times.

He has been crowned titles of approx. 100 AITA tournaments so far during his playing period.

Shri Nitten Kirrtane won Silver Medal at the Seniors World Championship at Miami, USA in 2018. He was the coach of the Gold medal winning Indian Railways Tennis team in recently held World Railway Championship held at Bulgaria. ¥

October 2019 13

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Shri Venkaiah Naidu boarding a special train at Venkatachalam Road Railway Station for inspection of new rail line including India's Longest Electrified Tunnel. He is

accompanied by Shri Suresh C. Angadi


CENTRAL NEWS

Vice President of India Flags Off Gudur-Vijayawada Intercity Superfast Express and Dedicates India's Largest Electrified Tunnel

Passenger Amenities

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu is seen inaugurating the newly introduced Intercity Superfast Express alongwith Shri Suresh C. Angadi and other dignitaries

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India flagged off the

newly introduced Gudur–Vijayawada Intercity Superfast Express at a glittering function held at Gudur Railway station on 1st September, 2019 in the presence of Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Minister of State of Railways, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Affairs and a galaxy of other dignitaries and railway officials. The Vice President of India also de-dicated Electrification of Venka-tachalam – Obulavaripalli Railway Line; India’s longest Electrified Rail Tunnel (6.6 kms between Cherlopalli–Rapuru) and Remo-deled Yard at Gudur Railway Station to the Nation, besides inau gu rating New Platforms 4 & 5 and 2 Foot Over Bridge at Gudur Railway Station. Addressing the large gathering at the venue, Shri Naidu termed the day as most memorable with the long cherished aspirations of the people in the region coming to fruition. The need for a fast and convenient Intercity Train from South Coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh to the Capital area after formation of the new state is what made him strive to get the train okayed from the Rail Ministry, Shri Venkaiah Naidu stated and added that the people can now travel on any work to state capital and return by night. Speaking on the Krishna-patnam Port – Venkatachalam – Obulavaripalli rail link, the Vice

President of India said that freight traffic to and from the port is bound to significantly in crease with reduction in dista nces. The deve-lopment of various faci lities at Gudur will surely enhance operati-onal efficiency of train services and pa ssenger convenience at the jun-ction station, which is virtual inter-change hub of rail services between South Central and Southern Railways. He went on to highlight the fact that rail deve lopment has picked up pace including in Andhra Pradesh, thanks to the positive approach of Prime Minister and the Rail Ministry. His priority is now drawn to expedite completion of the crucial Nadikude–Srikalahasthi new railway line project, which will ensure development of the upland area of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Naidu added. Speaking on the broader context, the Vice President sought that citizens should move faster towards ado pting Digitization so as to en hance efficiency of the delivery sys tem pertaining to various public

services. Earlier, Shri

Suresh C Angadi, in his address stated that the various rail projects com-pleted and com-mi ssioned in the region are on account of the concern shown

by Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in developing rail and economic con-nectivity in the region. The motive for Indian Railways is focused on Safety, Punctuality and Clean rail services. It is needed for everyone to fulfill the vision of Shri Narendra Modi for a Swachh Bharat, the Minister stressed and called upon the people to say no use of Plastic. The priority of railways is also drawn on ensuring optimal security of women rail passengers and curbing unautho rized rail travel which incon veniences genuine rail users, Shri Suresh C Angadi added.

Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway in his welcome address spoke of the Zone’s commitment to expand and enhance the quality of its services. Indian Railways is on a transfo-rmation path with the objective built on creating - New India, New Railways, he said and added that SCR is truly proceeding ahead on this mission. Shri P. Srinivas, Divisional Railway Manager, Vijayawada Division, SCR proposed the vote of thanks. S/Shri Anil Kumar, Minister for Irrigation, Andhra Pradesh; S/Shri V. Prabhakar Reddy, Adala Prabhakar Reddy, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and B. Durga Prasad, MPs; V. Vara Prasad, MLA and Kanna Lakshmi-narayana, President, BJP, Andhra Pradesh were also present. Shri Pradeep Gaur, CMD, RVNL and other railway officials were present. ¥

Shri Piyush Goyal Flags Off New Passenger Train No. 53561/53562 between Dumka and Poreyahat in Jharkhand via Video Conferencing

zz New Passenger train will run on HansidhaPoreyahat broad gauage line, part of HansidhaGodda Project

zz It will connect the areas of Jharkhand for economic progress and development

Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Shri

Piyush Goyal flagged off new passenger Train No. 53561/53562 between Dumka and Poreyahat in Jharkhand on 17 September, 2019 through Video Conference in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Indian Railways is committed to bring economic progress and develop-ment by providing Railway services

in the birth place of Birsa Munda, Jharkhand. Hansidha-Godda line project work had started in the year 2017 and within two years, half of the work has been completed and the remaining work will soon be completed in 7-8 months. Indian Railways has started 50 new trains and increased stoppages at 100 stations in the state of Jharkhand.

The new passe nger service between Dumka and Pore yahat will provide connectivity to all enroute stations (viz. New Madanpur, Barapalasi, Nonihat, Kurmahat, Hansdiha & Gangwara). The new train service will have 8 coaches and train services will be available

6 days a week, except on Sunday.This new passenger train will

meet the long pending demand of the public representatives and travelling public of Dumka and Godda Parliamentary consti-tuencies. Hansdiha-Poreyahat new BG line (15.5 km) is part of Hansdiha-Godda new line project (32 km). ¥

Shri Piyush Goyal addressing on the occasion of flagging off of new passenger train

Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Flags Off, Inaugurates and Dedicates Various Services, Facilities and Amenities in Mumbai

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry,

Government of India flagged off, inaugurated, dedicated various services, facilities and amenities provided on Mumbai suburban network at a function held on 13 September, 2019 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai. Shri Vinod Tawde, Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Marathi Bhasha, Maharashtra, Shri Manoj Kotak, Shri Husain Dalwai, MPs, Shri Raj Purohit, MLA, Shri K.S. Ahluwalia, Chairman, RCT, Delhi, Shri A.K. Gupta, General Manager, Central & Western Railway, Shri R.S. Khurana, CMD, MRVC, Shri S.K. Jain, DRM, Mumbai Division, CR and Shri Sunil Kumar, DRM, Mumbai Division, WR and other officials were also present on the occasion. Increase in frequency of CSMT-Nizamuddin

Shri Piyush Goyal along with dignitaries dedicates various passenger amenities in Mumbai

Rajdhani Express.Shri Piyush Goyal and other

dignitaries flagged off the inaugural service of increased frequency of Rajdhani Special train No. 02221 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai.

Train No. 22221 Rajdhani Express with increased frequency will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

with effect from 16 September, 2019. Train No.22222 Rajdhani Express with increased frequency will leave Hazrat Nizamuddin on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday with effect from 14 September, 2019. Inaugurated building for Railway Claims Tribunal (Second Bench) Mumbai, three foot over bridges at Khar Road and Vile Parle stations, two Escalators at Lower Parel station.

October 2019 15

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Passenger Amenities

Passenger Amenities

Shri Piyush Goyal along with other dignitaries flagging off 22221-Rajdhani Express

Dedicatedzz 11 foot over bridges (GTB Nagar,

Kalva, Diva, Umbermali, Thansit, Shahad, Kurla, Vidyavihar, Lower Parel, Marine Lines and Prabhadevi stations),zz 1 escalator and 1 lift at Parel

station,zz 1 Renovated passenger corridor

at CSMT platform 14-18,zz 2 Renovated booking offices at

Govandi and Ghatkopar stations,zz HVLS fans at CSMT and Byculla

stations,zz 2 Green stations – Chembur and

Dockyard Road stations,IP based LED indicators at 22

stations (CSMT, Nahur, Kanjurmarg, Asangaon, Khadavali, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Mulund, Ulhasnagar, Kalva, Mumbra, Diva, Kopar, Thakurli, Vasind, Atgaon, Khardi, Chinchpokali, Currey Road, Masjid,

Neral and Karjat)Improvement of cover over

platforms at 13 stations (CSMT, Chinchpokali, Currey Road, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Sion, Chunabhatti, Kings Circle, Kurla, Vidyavihar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane), Resurfacing of platforms at 9 stations (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Tilaknagar, Mankhurd, Nagothane, Taloja, Nilje, Kalamboli and Badlapur) and Free Wi-Fi at 29

stations of Central and Western Railway – (Sewri, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Dockyard Road, Sandhurst Road, Ambivali, Titwala, Chunabhatti, Kings Circle, Masjid, Tilaknagar, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, Nahur, Thakurli, Cotton Green, Govandi, Mankhurd, Kaman Road, Shahad, Diva stations of Central Railway and Mahalakshmi, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Matunga Road, Mahim, Santacruz, Vile Parle, Jogeshwari and Ram Mandir stations of Western Railway). ¥

Shri Piyush Goyal reviews the DFCCIL project through video conferencing


CENTRAL NEWS

Dedicated Freight Corridor

Shri Piyush Goyal Reviews Progress of DFCCIL Project

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways

and Commerce & Industry con ducted a review of the DFCCIL Project with Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vishwesh Chaube, Member Engineering, Shri Anurag Sachan, MD/DFCCIL and other senior officials through Video Con fe rencing on 1st September, 2019 from Mumbai. Shri Goyal exhorted DFCCIL for speedy exe cution of pro jects and timely comple tion of the Dedicated Freight Corridor. The Minister called for phase-wise targets to be fixed for the comple tion of the DFC project. He empha sized on the development of Multi Modal Logistics Parks, Sidings, Terminals, Container Depots along the Corridor and stations on the DFC alignment. Some of the major points discussed during the review are enumerated below:

Contractszz Award of Contracts registers 3.5-

fold growth:The award of contracts touched ` 39,638 cr for 2009-14 which is 3.5 times more than ` 11,413 cr for 2009-14zz Capex on Contracts sees massive

7.5 times increase: The capex on contracts touched ` 28,462 cr in 2014-19 which is 7.5 times more than ` 3,811 crores in 2009-14. Progress of Elimination of Level Crossings (LC)

Progress of elimination of Level Crossings on the DFC route is on the fast track.

zz Road Under Bridge (RUB): Out of a total of 562 LCs, 271 RUBs have been commissioned and LCs closed, 259 LCs are under different stages of coompletion and 32 LCs are under different stages of contract finalisation.zz Road Over

Bridge (ROB): Out of a total of 296 LCs 65

have been commissioned, 140 are under different stages of coompletionand 91 under different stages of contract finalisation. For speedy completion of projects, MR has instructed to have resolution of critical issues of project completion at each level. In recent years, due to intervention of MR, following pending issues have been resolved. They include:EDFCzz 22 km in Bulandshahar district

of UP, where work was held up for 6 months, was resolved on 26 August, 2019.

October 2019 17

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

zz Mirzapur-Detour (8 km long) where Project Affected Persons were demanding ROB in lieu of RUB was resolved on 21 August, 2019zz Kanpur-Detour (balance 2 km

out of 22 km) which was resolved after a delay of 18 months.zz 9.45 hectares (2.5 km) in Boraki

area by GNIDA.WDFCzz Land acquisition in Ajmer area

in Feb 2019 which had been pending for 3 yearszz Acquisition of 7.69 hectares

land in Gulistanpur in Greater Noida which was resolved in June 2019.zz Litigation by Project Affected

Persons of Gujarat was in Supreme Court which was successfully finalized in July 2019.zz Land in 12 km near Dahanu

which was handed over by EOPA after 5 years in April 2019.

DFCCIL is working towards fast-tracking the construction of the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors. The two DFCs are targeted to be completed in phases by 2021.

EDFCzz Bhadan-Khurja section (194 km)

regularly run is planned from 2nd October, 2019. zz This section will be opened with

World Class Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj (Allaha-bad), a shining example of ‘Make-in-India’ initiative. The OCC will act as the command centre for the entire route length of 1856 kms. of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corri-dor (EDFC), controlling and moni-toring the system including Train operation and power supply system. zz The Khurja-Bhaupur section

(343 km) will be completed by November 2019.zz Bhaupur-Mughalsarai section

(402 km) will be completed by December 2020.zz The Mughalsarai - Sonnagar

section (137 km) will be completed by December 2020.zz The Khurja-Dadri section (46

km) will be completed by December 2020.zz The Khurja–Ludhiana section

(401 km) will be completed by December 2020

zz Entire EDFC (excluding PPP) will be completed by December 2021WDFCzz The first Double Stack Container

Goods train was successfully run between Ateli-Phulera section (190 km) on 15 August, 2018.zz A trial run on WDFC’s 306 km

Madar (Ajmer) - New Rewari - Kishangarh Balawas section was completed on 30 December, 2018.zz Successful run of electric

locomotive in Khurja-Bhadan section was completed on 15 August, 2019.zz Rewari-Madar (306 km) is tar-

geted for completion by December 2019. zz Palanpur-Rewari (641 km)

Targeted for March 2020 zz The Rewari-Dadri (127 km)

section will be completed by March 2021zz The Palanpur-Makarpura section

(308 km) will be completed by September 2021.zz The Makarpura to JNPT

(Mumbai) section (430 km) will be completed by December 2021.zz Entire WDFC will be completed

by 2021. ¥

Railway Minister Felicitates National Award Winning Railway Sportspersons

Sports

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce &

Industry felicitated National Award winning Railway Sportspersons in New Delhi on 30 August, 2019. Shri Piyush Goyal felicitated Shri Bajrang Punia by giving a cheque of ` 7.5 lakh and a Shawl, Shri S. Baskaran, Ms. Sonia Lather, Shri Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Ms. Poonam Yadav, Shri Nitten Kirrtane by giving a cheque of ` 5 lakh each and a Shawl for their outstanding contribution in the field of sports. Shri Bajrang Punia has been awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award of 2019 and Shri S. Bhaskaran, Ms. Sonia Lather, Ms. Poonam Yadav, Shri Chinglensana Singh Kangujam are awarded Arjuna Awards. Shri Nitten Kirrtane has been awarded with Dhyanchand Award.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Goyal expressed his happiness on the accomplishments of these sportspersons and for making the Nation, Indian Railways proud by their performances in their sport field. He wished them luck for their future tournaments. He also assured the sportspersons of Railways continued support in their journey. Inspired by ‘Fit India

Campaign’ launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Goyal advised that Indian Railways should start ‘Fit Railway, Fit India’ campaign where all the employees should participate in fitness activities. He also advised that gymnasiums/fitness centres should be opened in Railway premises to benefit Railway employees and their wards as well as common people.

Shri Piyush Goyal with Award winning sportspersons

Shri Piyush Goyal along with Railway Board Officials Conducts a High Level Review Meeting with General Managers & Divisional Railway Managers

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce &

Industry and Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board along with senior Railway officials held a high level review meeting with all General Managers (GMs)/

Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) of Zonal Railways/Production Units through Video Conferencing in Rail Bhavan on 22nd August, 2019.

In the opening session of the review meeting, Shri Piyush Goyal

congratulated the Divisional Rail-way Managers whose divisions have performed well on various Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Shri Goyal emphasised to GMs and DRMs to increase earning through more freight loading and Non Fare

Shri Piyush Goyal holding a Review meeting through video conferencing with GMs and DRMs of Zonal Railways/Divisions


CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways has a long tra-dition of having renowned spo rts-persons on its rolls. So far, 23 Padmashree, 166 Arjuna, 11 Dhy-an chand, 9 Dronacharya and 6 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards have been conferred on Indian Rail-way sportspersons. Continuing this glorious legacy, this year too, six Sport persons won awards. Indian Railways’ Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) is proud to be the mentor of these eminent achievers in the field of sports as under:

Bajrang Punia (Wrestling) He has been awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. He is also a recipient of Arjuna award and the Padma Shri Bajrang has won Asian Championship gold and bronze, a Commonwealth Games Gold, an Asian Games Gold and also World Championship Medals in wrestling.

S. Baskaran (Body Building) He has been awarded with Arjuna award. He won Gold medals in the World Body Building Championship 2018 in Thailand and Asian Body Building Championship 2018 in

India. He was awarded with title of Mr. India three times with Gold medal and also won silver medal.Sonia Lather (Boxing) - She has been awarded with Arjuna award. She represented India in Asian Games 2018. Having two Asian Cha mpionship medals to her name, Ms Lather became National Champion twice in Senior National Boxing Championships in 2017 & 2018 in feather weight representing Indian Railways.

Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (Hockey) He has been awarded with Arjuna award. He represented India in Commonwealth Games 2014 in which Indian Hockey team won

Shri Goyal advised that Indian Railways to start

‘Fit Railway, Fit India’ campaign where all the

employees should participate in fitness

activities.

Silver medal, Asian Games 2014 in which Indian Hockey team won Gold medal, Asian Games 2018 in which he was a member of Bronze medal winning Indian Hockey team.

Poonam Yadav (Cricket) She has been awarded with Arjuna award. Ms Yadav was part of the Indian Team who reached the final of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup. In June 2018, she was one of the top five in T-20 rankings. She became India’s highest wicket taker in Twenty- Twenty International in September 2018 with 57 wickets from 39 T-20s matches.

Nitten Kirrtane (Tennis) He has been awarded with Dhyanchand Award. He has made exemplary contributions to the Indian Tennis in his illustrious career spanning over four decades. He brought 9 International Medals to India during his playing career. He was the coach of the Gold Medal winning Indian Railways Tennis team recently held World Railway Championship in Bulgaria. ¥

Review Meeting

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Presents Swachh Mahotsav Award to Tirupati Railway Station

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister for Jal Sakthi presented

Cleanest Railway Station Award to Tirupati Railway Station in Swachh Railway Station Category. Shri Alok Tiwari, Divisional Railway Manager, Guntakal Division received the award at Swachhata Sahayog Day Award Ceremony held on 6th September, 2019 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

Tirupati Railway Station of Guntakal Division, South Central Railway has been adjudged as the 3rd Best Cleanest Railway Station on

Indian Railways. Jodhpur Railway Station has been declared as 1st Cleanest Railway Station followed by Jaipur Railway Station. Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the Swachh Mahotsav and Ministry of Railways has been adjudged as one of the best

Ministries for imple mentation of Swachhata Action Plan for the financial year 2018-19, and Inter-Ministry initiative to contribute towards Swachh Bharat Mission.

Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR compli mented the Divisional Railway Manager, Officials and Staff of Guntakal Division for maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness at Tirupati Railway Station. He advised them to continue the best efforts for further impro-vement and best performance in future.

Initiatives of Cleanliness and Hygiene at Tirupati Railway Station zz Station Housekeeping Plan: The

station is using housekeeping chemicals that meet ecolabel certification (Green Pro/Green seal certified or equivalent Type I ecolabel), for credit compliance. Green certified housekeeping chemicals are being used for station housekeeping and for OBHS cleaning services. zz Safe Drinking water facility: The

potable drinking water facility has been provided at all platforms of the station for passengers, through piped water supply connection. Adequate quantity of Clean & Safe drinking water conforming to IS 10500 is being supplied in Tirupati station. In addition, 7 RO water vending machines are also available covering all platforms for providing purified drinking water. Periodic check on quality of water is done at authorized laboratory by health department.zz Solid Waste Management Plan:

The station has provided two

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat pre senting the award to Shri Alok Tiwari

Cleanliness

Revenue. Shri Goyal also stressed upon the zones and divisions to further improve punctuality of trains. The agenda of the meeting was safety performance, punct-uality, capacity enhancement and other various ongoing develop-mental projects in Indian Railways.

While reviewing the performance of Zonal Railways during the current year so far, Chairman, Railway Board gave directions to General Managers for close moni-toring of projects related to safety in train operations. Shri Yadav emphasized on elimination of Manned Level crossings and cons-tru ction of Road over Bridges (RoBs)/Road Under Bridges (RuBs) at a swift pace in each zone. Shri Yadav expressed his satisfaction on

the progress of elimination of Manned Level crossings (MLC) in first four months of this financial year as compared to corresponding period in previous year.

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav directed General Managers to enhance their efforts to further improve punctu-ality. He emphasized to GMs to take initiatives to increase freight loading. Reviewing the infra-structure creation projects, Shri Yadav directed all the officers to ensure timely completion of on-going infrastructure projects and meet the targets in stipulated deadlines. He stressed on advance planning of the projects before their implementation so the pro-jects may be completed in a time bound manner. New Line Commi-

ssioning, Gauge conversion, Doubling, Electrification projects are to be expedited.

Chairman, Railway Board highlighted that all zones and divisions should complete the pre-parations with regard to 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. Various initiative being taken in this direction include elimination of single use plastic, development of track side nurseries, plantation and clean-liness of stations and trains. Shri Yadav reiterated that sustained focus on safety, punctuality, infrastructure creation, cleanliness and hygiene of stations and trains and passengers comfort will remain the priority areas for Indian Railways. ¥

October 2019 19

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Minister of State of Railways Expresses Satisfaction over Infrastructure Efforts and Praises the Overall Cleanliness Standard of the Stations

Minister of State of Railways Shri Suresh C. Angadi on his

way to Varanasi on 18 September, 2019 by 22436 New Delhi- Varanasi, Vande Bharat Express inspected the first Make in India trainset and territory of North Central Railway over Allahabad Division. It was indeed a rare occasion for North Central Railway when Minister of State first time travelled in AC chair car of this engineless trainset which runs for more than 80% of its journey on Allahabad Division of North Central Railway.

Minister conducted onboard inspection of existing facilities provided in Vande Bharat and also suggested means to improve services to achieve passenger delight. Minister interacted with many passengers on board VandeBharat Express to have a first hand feel of facilities being provided and expressed his satisfaction on existing services in this first semi high speed train-set inaugurated by PM Shri Narendra Modi on 15 February, 2019. During the scheduled halt of 22436 New Delhi-Varanasi, Vande Bharat Express at Allahabad, Minister interacted with General Manager, North Central Railway Shri Rajiv Chaudhry, DRM/ Allahabad and other officials

present at Allahabad Station. During the short interaction MoSR expressed his satisfaction on development of infrastructure, improvement in punctuality, better cleanliness over NCR. Vande Bharat has average speed of 104 Kmph on NCR territory and punctuality close to 100% which is highest in terms of average speed and punctuality among all trains of Indian Railways. North Central Railway under the guidance of GM Shri Chaudhry has implemented many system improvement measures to achieve sustainable and long term improvements. Till September, 19 NCR has registered a growth of 10.37% in punctuality performance

of trains over last year which is best among all zonal Railways. MoS Shri Angadi complimented Shri Rajiv Chaudhry and urged upon team NCR to scale newer heights in punctuality of trains and other fields of Railway Working. Minister also specifically mentioned regarding improved cleanliness enroute as well as on Stations. NCR moving in right direction towards Clean India Mission, has already implemented comprehensive mechanised cleaning on all important stations over all three divisions. Shri Chaudhry assured the Minister that requisite steps shall be taken to achieve real aim of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. ¥

Shri Suresh C. Angadi is being briefed about North Central Railway by Shri Rajiv Chaudhary

separate bins for collection of food waste (Organic) and recyclable waste (plastic & paper) at every platform at an interval of 30mtrs. Black & green coloured covers for wet & dry waste has been provided on bins. zz Plastic-free Environment: Awa-

re ness initiatives like pamphlet distribution, Signature campaign, Nukkad Natak, Rally are being regularly conducted. Station authority has prohibited plastic bags within the station premises and snack kiosks are informed not to give plastic bags for the

purchased snacks.zz Enhanced Indoor Air Quality:

Station has installed CO2 sensors integrated with exhaust fans, thus meeting the intent of having a control system to maintain a diffe-rential CO2 level of 530 ppm in all Air-Conditioned rooms which are the densely occupied areas in station.zz Water Conservation Measures:

Water requirement for coach washing is 6.4 lakh litres/day. As regards water use reduction for coach washing, the station has got 4.0 lakh litres/ day treated water

from Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).zz Waste Water Treatment: A waste

water treatment plant with capacity of 4 lakh liters is implemented at station, which is meeting 62% of coach washing water requirement.zz Green Outreach & Awareness: At

station Green Awareness campaigns on Environment Day, Earth Day, National Energy Conservation Week, and Green Building Week etc. are carried and that the awareness campaigns are part of a regular practice. ¥


CENTRAL NEWS

Cleanliness

Indian Railways have undertaken some major Green initiatives as

part of India’s contribution towards mitigation of global warming and combating climate change. To carry forward this green initiative, an MoU was signed between Ministry of Railways and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for facilitation of green initiatives in Indian Railways at New Delhi on 13 September, 2019 in the presence of the Minister of State of Railways Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Director General of CII Shri Chandrajit Banerjee, Member, Rolling Stock Shri Rajesh Agarwal and other Railway Board Officials.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Suresh C. Angadi said that Clean-liness (Swachhta) has become a movement. Taking inspiration from the Prime Minister, mass partici-pation is now being witnessed across the country on this front. In

Indian Railways Signs MoU with Confederation of Indian Industries for Facilitation of Green Initiatives

Railways also, concerted efforts are being made to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in trains and on station premises. He appreciated Railway officials and staff for their effort in this direction. He expressed his happiness that 50 Railway units including workshops and produ-ction units, 12 Railway stations and 16 more buildings and other facilities have achieved Green Certification. He hoped that more Railway Production Units and workshops will attain such Green Certificates.

The objectives of the MoU:zz Energy efficiency in manufa-

cturing facilities and railway workshops.zz Greening of Railway properties.zz Demonstrative pilots of ‘net-zero

energy buildings/ railway stations’.zz Capacity and skill development

by continuous sharing of best pra-ctices on energy and enviro nment through training programmes.zz Development of Green pro cure-

ment policy, waste management policy, solid waste disposal, carbon neutrality, phytoremediation.

Minister of State of Railways Flags Off 275th Electric Locomotive ‘WAP-7’

Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Minister of State of Railways flagged off

275th Electric Locomotive ‘WAP-7’ in a grand ceremony held at Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi on 19th September, 2019. On this occasion, before flagging off the flower bedecked locomotive decorated in resplendent colour scheme, he performed rituals and inspected the driver cab of above locomotive along with Smt. Rashmi Goel, General Manager, DLW and other principal officers. During the inspection of locomotive Shri Angadi was apprised about the salient features of the locomotive ‘WAP-7’ by Smt. Goel and officers.

On this occasion expressing happiness over the performance of DLW, Shri Angadi said that as a precursor in production and technology, DLW showed its

competence to cope up with the changing demands of its customers. Lauding the skills of DLW’s workmen he expressed satisfaction over the progress development of locomotives by DLW.

Welcoming the MoSR along with the guests, officers and employees, General Manager Smt. Rashmi Goel

focussed upon the achievements of DLW in locomotive production and environment as well as future plans and prospects. On this occasion, distinguished persons graced the programme by their benign pre-sence, as well as HODs, officers, Staff Council members and emplo-yees of DLW attended the programme in a large number. Earlier, on arrival at Workshop Shri Angadi was given a grand guard of honour by RPF. This 6000 HP WAP-7 Electic Locomotive No 37248 was being pressed in to service at Tughlakabad (TKD) Elecric Shed of West Central Railway. The Minister also met Joint Secy., Staff Council & members as well as the represe-ntatives of other employees asso-ciations and office bearers of SC/ST/OBC Association and received memorandum from them. ¥

Shri Suresh C. Angadi is seen flagging off the 275th Electric Locomotive

View after signing of MoU in the presence of Shri Suresh C. Angadi

October 2019 21

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Passenger Amenities

Green Initiatives

Three Coffee Table Publications –one each on Energy Efficiency, GreenCo Rating and Green Buildings (including railway stations) were also released for wide circulation as part of efforts taken by the Indian Railways team as envisaged in MoU. Indian Railways & CII have been working together since signing of

MoU in 2016 on Green Rating & Energy Efficiency Studies of IR’s Production Units & major work-shops and after assessment in last three years, 50 Railway Units including workshops and pro-duction units have achieved GreenCo certification. In addition, 12 Railway stations and 16 more buildings and

other facilities have also achieved Green certification. GreenCo rating system developed by CII evaluates the green initiative and the rate of performance of industrial units who are pursuing environmentally sustainable pra ctice and also certifies green building, green campus and green schools etc. ¥

Shri Suresh C. Angadi Reviews Tirupati Railway Station Redevelopment Works

Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Minister of State of Railways inspected

Tirupati Railway Station and reviewed the Redevelopment works at the station on 30 August, 2019. He was accompanied by Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SC Railway; Shri Alok Tiwari, Divisional Railway Manager and other officials of Guntakal Division. The Minister undertook an ex-tensive tour of Tirupati Railway Station, covering the entire station premises from the main (North side) till the South side entrance area. He visited the Food Track - the catering outlet maintained by IRCTC at the station to check the quality of food and expressed appre ciation of the standards main-tained. He inter acted with passe-ngers and enquired on the avai-lability of facilities at “Athithi AC Premium Lounge”. He sought

Shri Suresh C Angadi looking at the model of redevelopment of Tirupati station

detailed info rmation on the status of developmental plans at South side entrance and instructed the officials to speed up the process of executing the approved plans for passenger convenience. He inspe-cted Foot Over Bridge, waiting halls on Platform No.1 and had a detailed view of Tirupati Railway Station

Redevelopment Model on display at main concourse area. Earlier, Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) Officials made a detailed presentation of Tirupati Railway Station Redevelopment works and provision of enhanced passenger amenities to the pilgrims visiting the abode of Lord Venkateshwara.¥

Inauguration of Tatisilwai-Shanki New Line and Flagging Off of Two New Trains from Ranchi Station

Shri Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of Jharkhand and Shri Suresh C.

Angadi, Minister of State of Railways inaugurated Tatisilwai-Shanki new railway line and flagged off Ranchi-Tatanagar Express and Hatia-Shanki Passenger train in a function held at Ranchi Station on 29th August, 2019. Shri Chandre-shwar Prasad Singh, Minister, Urban Develo pment, Housing & Transport, Govt. of Jharkhand, Shri Sanjay Seth, MP, Shri Jyotirmoy

Singh Mahato, MP, Shri Navin Jaiswal, MLA, Dr. Jitu Charan Ram, MLA, Smt Asha Lakra, Mayor of Ranchi and Shri Sanjeev Vijaywa-rgiya, Dy. Mayor of Ranchi were present at the pro gramme. Shri Anupam Sharma, Additional General Manager, South Eastern Railway welcomed the disti-nguished guests on the occasion. The new projects and trains will not only ensure better co nne ctivity in and around Ranchi area but will

also lead to economic deve lopment of the region. Moreover, with the introduction of Ranchi-Tatanagar Express, another direct connectivity between Jamshedpur and Ranchi has been provided.Tatisilwai-Shanki New Line

31 km Tatisilwai-Shanki New Line is a part of Barkakana-Ranchi Project and has been completed at a cost of ` 450 crore. The cost has been shared on 50:50 basis between Ministry of Railways and


CENTRAL NEWS

Passenger Amenities

Passenger Amenities

Govt of Jharkhand. After commi-ssioning of this new B.G. line, two pairs of Passenger trains have been introduced to run between Hatia and Shanki. There are five stations in the section viz. Tatisilwai, Mesra, Hundur, Jhanjhitoli and Shanki including 8 major bridges and 39 minor bridges. This rail link will

bring development and promotion of trade in this rural area along with better and cheaper transport facilities. 18113 / 18114 Tatanagar-Ranchi Express (Daily)

The newly introduced 18113 Tatanagar-Ranchi Express leaving Tatanagar at 5.25 hrs. arrives

Ranchi at 10.15 hrs. In the return direction, 18114 Ranchi-Tatanagar Express leaving Ranchi at 16.45 hrs. arrives Tatanagar at 22.15 hrs.58663/58664 & 58665/58666 Hatia-Shanki Passenger (Daily)

Two Pairs of Passenger trains have been introduced between Hatia-Shanki-Hatia. 58663 Hatia-Shanki Passenger leaving Hatia at 05.40 hrs. arrives Shanki at 7.25 hrs. In the return direction, 58664 Shanki-Hatia Passenger leaving Shanki at 7.55 hrs. arrives Hatia at 10.20 hrs. 58665 Hatia-Shanki Passenger leaving Hatia at 17.10 hrs. arrives Shanki at 18.55 hrs. In the return direction, 58666 Shanki-Hatia Passenger leaving Shanki at 21.05 hrs. arrives Hatia at 22.50 hrs. ¥

Shri Raghubar Das and Shri Suresh C. Angadi flagging off Ranchi-Tatanagar Express and Hatia-Shanki Passenger train from Ranchi Station

Minister of State of Railways Conducts Inspection of 3rd Coaching Terminal Coming Up at Baiyyappanahaali

Shri Suresh Channabasappa Angadi, Minister of State of

Railways, on 27 August, 2019 conducted inspe ction of the ongoing work of Baiyyappanahalli new Coaching Terminal which will be the third coaching terminal of Bengaluru and the construction of Rail Over Bridge in lieu of Level Crossing Gate No. 136 A at Baiyyappanahalli.

Shri P.C. Mohan, Member of Parliament, Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha Constituency, Shri Muni-swamy, Member of Parliament, Kolar Lok Sabha Constituency, Shri S. Raghu, MLA of C.V. Raman Nagar Assembly Constituency, Ms. Shashirekha Mukund, Councillor of Sarvajnanagar, Shri A.K. Singh, General Manager of South Western Railway, Shri Ashok Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division, Shri K.C. Swamy, Chief Administrtive Officer, Cons-truction, South Western Railway and other senior officers of Railways were present during the inspection.

While addressing the media, the

Minister said that Baiyya-ppanahalli will become a major station in the coming days. Improved Facilities such as foot over bridges, plat-form shelters and other modern passe-nger amenities will be provided. He informed that once this coa ching terminal is commissioned KSR Bengaluru and Yesvantpur Railway Stations will be decon gested and more trains will also be introduced from Baiyyappanahalli.

He instructed the Officers to carry out the work in a time-bound manner and complete the construction of 3rd terminal at Baiyyappa nahalli by the end of March, 2020. He informed that the total cost of the work is ` 190 crs and ` 70 crs have been spent for the work completed till now. Answering to a question, the Minister informed

that separate meetings will be held with the State Government rega-rding suburban Railway project in Bengaluru.

The Minister praised main-tenance of Bengaluru Division office Building. He told that during his visit to Divisional Railway Manager’s Office in Bengaluru he was impressed with the upkeep and maintenance of the office building and also told that the building is the only Government office building in the State with a certification for energy efficiency awarded by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). ¥

Shri Suresh C. Angadi inspecting the progress of work of 3rd Coaching Terminal coming up at Baiyyappanahalli

October 2019 23

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

Inspection

New Amenities & Facilities Inaugurated in Asansol Division

Shri Babul Supriyo, Minister of State for Environment, Forest &

Climate change, inaugurated various new amenities and facilities for passengers and Rail users at different places in Eastern Railway’s Asansol Division on 22 August, 2019.

The Minister inaugurated the UTS-cum-PRS counter (i.e. Unreserved and Reserved Ticket counter) at Pandabeshwar, new toilet complex at circulating area of Barakar station and inaugurated High Mast Flood Lights at Loco Stadium, Asansol.

Opening of UTS-cum-PRS

passengers purchasing both reserved & unreserved railway ticket and new toilet complex having premier fittings inside the circulating area of Barakar station will provide more comfort to the passengers/rail users. High Mast Flood Lights at Loco Stadium, Asansol will motivate sportspersons as well as organising sports activity at night also. Shri Sumit Sarkar, Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Asansol, Divisional officers and other dignitaries were also present in the inaugural functions at Pandabeshwar, Barakar and Asansol stations. ¥

Shri Babul Supriyo showing the ticket after inaugurating the UTS-cum-PRS

counter at Pandabeshwar station

Meeting with Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha)

Shri T.P. Singh, General Manager, Northern Railway held a meeting

with the Ministers/Members of Parliament of constituencies that come under the jurisdiction of Delhi Divisions in New Delhi on 18 September, 2019. This is in acco-rdance with the directives given by Minster of Railways Shri Piyush

Goyal, advising General Managers of Zonal Railways to increase public outreach to get feedbacks for providing better service to the nation. Railway related issues in each co nstituency falling under Northern Railway were discussed with the public representatives to find solu tions for the benefit of the

passengers. The GM welcomed the Members

of Parliament and briefed them about the various develop mental activities and new initiatives taken up by Northern Railway within the jurisdiction of Delhi Division.

Shri S.C. Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi Division presented

Meeting with Governor of AP and Chief Secretary

Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway

during his visit to Vijayawada Division called on Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan, Governor, Andhra Pradesh State. He also met Shri L.V. Subramanyam, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh at AP Secretariat, Velagapudi, Amaravati on 20 August, 2019. Shri P. Sreenivas, Divisional Railway Manager, Vijayawada Division accompanied the General Manager.

During his meeting with Chief Secretary, he comprehensively dis-cussed on the progress of various ongoing and new Railway projects in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He sought co-operation from the state government regarding land ac-quisition etc. He also met Shri Ajeya Kallam, Principal Advisor, Govern-ment of AP. Later, in the day he met Shri Damodar Gautam Sawang,

Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh and discussed on the issues pertaining to provision of security to the passengers in the Zone’s Jurisdiction.

Earlier in the day, Shri Gajanan Mallya inaugurated the renovated Orthopedic and Physiotherapy block at Railway Hospital, Vijayawada during his visit. He also inspected various wards in the hospital and interacted with patients & enquired with Doctors on facilities available and further

improvements at Railway Hospital, Vijayawada. He inspected Electrical Traction Training Centre (ETTC), Satyanarayanapuram and interacted with Assistant Loco Pilots undergoing training. He discussed on training mo dules ado-pted and various co urses being conducted. He along with Divi sional Ra ilway Ma nager, Vijayawada Division planted saplings towards green environment in the premises of ETTC. The General Manger reviewed the achievements and performance of Vijayawada Division with the Divisional Officers. He compli mented Division Officials and Staff for their best performance and advised them to maintain the high levels of performance. He also stressed on providing of best passenger amenities at Railway Stations, safety and punctuality of rail services as foremost. ¥

View of meeting with Governor and Chief Secretary

counter (i.e. Unreserved and Reserved Ticket counter) at Pandabeshwar station will help


CENTRAL NEWS

Passenger Amenities

a report regarding the completed, ongoing & planned works relating to passenger ame nities, infra-structure and services at stations and trains over the division. Senior Officers of Northern Railway and Delhi Division also participated in the meeting.

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, General (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and MPs Lok Sabha, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, S/Shri Ramesh Bidhuri, Hans Raj Hans, Manoj Tiwary, Sanjay Bhatiya, Satyapal Singh and Shri Ramesh Chander Kaushik, Smt. Sunita Duggal, Shri Nayab Singh, Haji Fajlur Rehman, Shri Birender Singh, Shri Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Shri Ram Kumar

Kashyap, and Shri N.D. Gupta expressed their views in the meeting.

Members of Parliament appreciated the good work done by Northern Railway in the past five years in their constituencies. They also put forward various demands, requirements and aspirations of the rail users of their respected areas. They exhorted NR to com-plete the infrastructure and public convenience related projects on top

priority. They also volunteered to help wherever there was any co-ordination required with the state administration for timely comp-letion of the projects. Shri T.P. Singh assured the Members of Parliament that Northern Railway would resolve the public grievances and issues put forward by them as early as possible. He further said that Northern Railway would always remain committed in the service of the passengers and rail users. ¥

View of the meeting of Ministers/MPs with Northern Railway officers

Members of Parliament met

Shri A. K. Gupta, General Manager, Central Railway along with Principal Head of the Departments & Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai at Central Railway Head-quarters buidling on 9 September, 2019. Earlier, Shri A.K. Gupta, General Manager met Shri Arvind Sawant, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Govt. of India and discussed various issues with regard Mumbai Suburban Railway. S/Shri Kapil Patil, Shrikant Shinde, Rajan Vichare, Rahul Shewale, Kumar Ketkar, Rajendra Gavit and Hemant Godse, Members of Parliament discussed about Railway Projects, Developmental Works completed & in progress and various other

Meeting with Members of Parliament

issues including Passenger ame-nities on Railways with General Manager, Central Railway & other officers.

The General Manager welcomed the MPs in his address and commended their cooperation and motivation in completing the projects, further said under their guidance will serve the esteemed passengers with better amenities. He further assured all suggestions of MPs will be fulfilled at our level best. A number of issues including

New Trains, Doubling of line, Stoppages, Escala-tors, Lifts at Stations, New FOBs, 3rd line between Kalyan – Kasara & Kalyan – Badlapur, 5th & 6th line between Diwa & Thane and various

other projects by MRVC & Central Railway were discussed. The MPs thanked Central Railway and appreciated the good works done in Mumbai Division. The MPs also emphasized that all major infrastructural works like doubling, new lines, may be given special attention. General Manager assured for the same. Principal Heads of Departments, Divisional Railway Managers of Mumbai Division, CMD of MRVC along with officers are present in the meeting. ¥

View of the meeting of Members of Parliament with GM and PHoDs

A Special Postal Cover Released Celebrating the Rich & Glorious Legacy of Bandra Station

To celebrate the rich & glorious legacy of heritage building of

Bandra station, a special cover was released by Shri H.C. Agrawal, Chief Post Master General of Maharashtra

Circle in the august presence of Adv Ashish Shelar, Minister of School Education, Youth Welfare & Sports of Govt. of Maharahstra, Shri A.K. Gupta, General Manager, Western

Railway and eminent Bollywood actor Shri Shah Rukh Khan on 23rd August, 2019 at Bandra station premises.

Bandra Railway station is

October 2019 25

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

notified as a grade I heritage structure and is one of the finest suburban railway stations of Mumbai.

The century old railway station, an excellent architectural blend of Victorian Gothic and the Vernacular style, stands out as a prominent landmark on its site. Bandra Station was opened on 28th November, 1864. However, the magnificent heritage Bandra Station Building was built 24 years later in 1888.

This event was also attended by Shri Sunil Kumar, Divi-sional Ra il way Manger of Mumbai Divi-sion, Western Rly, Shri Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway and various other senior

Adv Ashish Shelar, Shri A. K. Gupta, Shri H. C. Agrawal, Shri Shah Rukh Khan and other senior railway & postal department

officers are seen at the function

officers from Western Railway as well as Postal Depart ments and local Corporators. ¥

Chairman, Railway Board was Awarded with Eminent Engineers Award on 52nd Engineers’ Day

The Minister for Skill Development & Entrepre-

neurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, awarded Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board with Eminent Engineers Award. The award was presented at the special event to mark the 52nd Engineers’ Day organised by the Institution of Engineers in New Delhi on 15 September, 2019. The award was for his outstanding

contributions in the field of engineering. The theme of 52nd Engineers’ Day was “Engineering for change”.

The Chairman of The Institution of Engineers, Delhi State Centre Shri Dinesh Kumar, the immediate past president, of The Institution of Engineers Shri Sisir Kumar Banerjee and several other prominent engineers were present on this occasion. ¥

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav receiving the award from Dr. Mahendranath Pandey. Also seen Shri Dinesh Kumar and Shri

Sisir Kumar Banerjee

Indian Railways Launches Massive Shramdaan Across the Country

Chairman, Railway Board Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav

alongwith Member Rolling Stock Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Member Traffic Shri P.S Mishra, General Manager, Northern Railway Shri T.P Singh and other senior officers of Railway Board and Northern Railway parti cipated in Shramdaan at New Delhi Railway Station. As part of Swachhta Pakh-

wara, a massive Shramdaan was carried out by Railways throughout Indian Railway premises. Charitable

Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav along with Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Shri P.S. Mishra, Shri T.P. Singh and other Railway Officers in the

Shramdaan programme

Organizations like SNCF and others also participated in Shramdaan. A Swachhta pledge and a pledge of curbing single use plastic was administered to all present. Cloth bags to

be used as replacement to plastic bags were also distributed to passengers and stall owners. ¥


CENTRAL NEWS

Mega Vendor Meet 2019 to Expand Vendor Base and Spread Information on Greater Business Opportunities in Railways Sector

Around 500 repre sentatives from Industries across the

country participated in the vendor meet organized by the research wing of Indian Railways, Research Designs and Standards Organiza-tion (RDSO) in Lucknow on 30th August, 2019. The special Mega Vendor Meet was held to expand vendor base and spread information

on greater business opportu nities in Railways Sector. Further, detailed pre sentation on Online Vendor Approval process of RDSO and steps taken for enhancement for “Ease of doing Business” and details of items having less than three (3) sources was given. It was informed that, RDSO has already initiated some measures to enco-

urage vendors to register them-selves for RDSO controlled items with less than three sources. For example, registration charges for items with less than three sources has been reduced from ` 1,50,000 to ` 10,000 for micro/small ente-rprises and from ` 2,50,000 to ` 50,000 for others. Moreover, product testing charges shall also

34th Governing Council Meeting

During the 34th Governing council meeting, RDSO made

presentation on the status of three important ongoing projects (Dedicated Test Track, Switchover to UIC (International Union of Railways) 518 method of testing and Development of Instrumented Measuring Wheel) and 10 new project proposals. Detailed discussions were made on these during the meeting.

In the 34th meeting of the Governing Council, Chairman, Railway Board Shri V. K. Yadav, who is also the Chairman of the Governing Council, was present in

the meeting along with Member Traction Shri Rajesh Tiwari, Member Rolling Stock Shri Rajesh Agarwal, Member Engineering Shri Vishwesh Choube, Finance Commissioner Shri Vijay Kumar, Member Staff Shri Manoj Pande and AM (Planning) Shri Piyush Agarwal, DG/RDSO Shri Virendra Kumar and other Senior Officers of Railway Board and RDSO. Member Traffic joined the meeting on Video Conference.

CRB in his address appreciated various efforts made by RDSO in recent past, particularly in the area of vendor registration procedure,

which has been streamlined and made fast and transparent and totally online. He said RDSO has done good work but there is scope for improvement. He said that the need of the times is quantum jump in technology, not incremental. He stressed on incre-asing speeds of trains, mentioning about recently sanctioned 160 kmph upgradation project on Delhi – Howrah and Delhi Mumbai routes. During the day, CRB also inaugurated newly commissioned Vendor Lounge, newly renovated Signal Laboratory and the renovated Badminton Hall. ¥

October 2019 27

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

be borne by RDSO for such items.

Key industry representatives were also invited to speak on this occasion to give their views/ sugge stions on Vendor Approval System, which have been taken note of for resolution. Physical display of several of the items having less than three sources was also done in the meet, for providing a good clarity to the prospective bidders.

One-to-one interaction of Industry with senior officials of RDSO was also to give good insight about the various products and vendor approval process. As part of the event, Chairman Railway Board Shri V.K. Yadav also addressed the participants and delegates through video confe rencing and exhorted the industry fraternity to be a partner in pro gress of Indian Railways and stren gthening IR’s supply chain. He said that without support from Industry, IR could not perform. Success of Indian Railways goes hand in hand with success of Industry. He asked industry to tell what more is re quired by them. He said we are trying to streamline the complete cycle of purchase from vendor regi stration to e- procurement to pro duct inspection to payment. He however, cautioned that we need quality product and

poor quality shall lead to de-registration. After de-registration, registration shall be made very difficult.

The Chief Guest for the meet Addl. Member/Stores/Railway Board, Shri O.P. Khare said that huge industry participation in this vendor meet is beyond imagination. Considering the size of the country, it is sur prising that there are se-veral items with less than three approved sources; at the same time it is an opportunity for industry. He said Indian Railways is growing fast, but this is not possible without active support from industry. This will go a long way towards “Make in India” programme of the govern-

ment. He said RDSO’s efforts must be appre ciated and industry should take full advantage for mutual benefit of both. Shri Virendra Kumar, DG/RDSO in his speech talked about the various steps taken by RDSO to expand the vendor base, especially of items having less than three Vendors and enhan-cement in doing ease of business, in line with Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ pro gramme. This will bring compe titiveness and reduce cost of procurement and cost of service. He said that as a result of proactive action taken by RDSO, average time for registration has reduced signi-

ficantly. At the same time, about double

the number of vendors are doing registration on RDSO portal. He also apprised the august gathering that we have set up a monitoring system for add re ssing and solving grievance and co mplaint from vendors. He pro mised to the participants from Industry that if you are fair, we shall be fair. Together, we can succeed. Overall the meet was a roaring success, which witnessed en thu siastic participation of Indu stry Fraternity from across India and will go a long way in fulfilling the stated objective of Expanding Vendor Base of Indian Railways. ¥

Mega Vendor Meet 2019 to Expand Vendor Base and Spread Information on Greater Business

Opportunities in Railways Sector held at Lucknow

Ministry of Railways has ob-served ‘Swachhta-Hi-Seva

Pakhwada’ across its entire network from 11th September, 2019 to 2nd October, 2019. Prime Minister of India at an event on Swachhta-Hi-Seva (SHS) offered Shramdaan at Mathura on 11 September, 2019 leading and giving a message to the nation on removal of plastic waste. Indian Railways also undertook massive Shramdaan with partici-pation from all stakeholders on plastic waste collection on the first day of Swachhta-Hi-Seva. Focus on plastic waste collection was con-tinued throughout the Swachhta Pakhwada. Detailed guidelines for the ‘Pakhwada’ have been formulated and circulated to each unit of Indian Railways and the entire network is gearing up to observe the ‘Pakhwada’ in the most effective manner. Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry has instr ucted the Railway Admini stration to make this Pakhwada a grand success and to give special focus on cleanliness at Railway Stations and in trains throughout the ‘Pakhwada’. He has also directed that officers and staff of all depart ments to be involved in

various activities during ‘Swachhta-Hi-Seva Pakhwada’. Earlier the Minister of Railways has instructed for 10 days cleanliness drive for trains and stations starting 2nd September, 2019. He directed Zonal Railways to upload selected photo-graphs on E-Drishti, Minister’s dashboard for moni toring pur-poses. The Minister had been app-re ciating those Zones which have been doing well upon such monitoring.

Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Parameswaran Iyer met Chairman, Railway Board Shri V.K. Yadav, on 9 September, 2019 and discussed ways that the Railways could work for plastic waste collection, as properties of Indian Railways has the largest interface with the people across the country.

Following actions are to be ini-tiated across Indian Railways net-work on plastic waste management:zz Wide publicity will be given to

ban on single use plastic.zz Banners/posters/messages to

this effect to be displayed at prominent places.zz Extensive use of Information

Education and Communication

Plastic bottle crushers to be installed at all A1 and A category stations before 2nd October, 2019

measures would be made to create awareness among stakeholders. Audio messages/Banners shall also be displayed.zz Zonal Railways to take action on

implementation of Board’s instru-ctions and give feedback about the measures adopted.zz Plastic bottle crushers to be

installed at all A1 and A category stations before 2nd October, 2019zz Visibility of separate waste bins

to be increased on all A1 and A category Railway Stations. These would bear SHS logo.zz Work on development of 150

nurseries on Railway properties across the country to be completed by 2nd October, 2019zz IRCTC to implement return of

plastic drinking bottles as part of Extended Producer Responsibilityzz Plastic Bottle crushing machines

to be provided expeditiously at all other Railway Stations.zz A pledge will be administered on

2nd October to cut use of plastic. ¥

Indian Railways Extends Support for Giving a Boost to Economy & Announces Measures of Freight Incentive

Indian Railways announces certain Freight incentives to give

a boost to the economy. Member (Traffic), Railway Board Shri P.S. Mishra, announced these measures, to support various segments of the industry. Details of these measures announced are as under:Freight rate related measuresLevy of Busy Season Charge Deferredzz BSC, which is levied @ 15%

from 1 Oct-30 June, has been deferred till further advice (Except for iron ore and POL).zz Coal & coke and container

traffic are already exempt.Waiver of Supplementary charges on Mini and Two point rakeszz The 5% supplementary charges

applicable on loading on mini and two point rakes is being waived off.zz This is likely to boost loading of

smaller cargo sizes and help cement, steel, food grains and fertilizers loading.Round-trip charging on container trafficzz As per haulage charge rating of

container traffic, 0-50 km is the minimum distance slab for charging.

zz It is seen that container traffic in this ultra short lead (0-50 km) is very low at present.zz Therefore, round-trip charging

of container trip has been intro-duced for a distance of less than 50 km on each way.zz Under this scheme, haulage

charge for 0-100 km slab will be charged for total to and fro move-ment, instead of charging for 0-50 km slab each way.zz Impact - this comes out to be

about 35% cheaper per TEU for the complete round-tripzz It is expected to especially give

a fillip to EXIM traffic between

Indian Railways has Observed “Swachhta-Hi-Seva Pakhwada” from 11th September to 2nd October Across the Country


CENTRAL NEWS

ports and Inland Container Depots.Discount on movement of empty containers and empty flat wagonszz A discount of 25% discount in

haulage charge of containers has been given to encourage movement of empty/flat to ports; thereby increasing loaded container traffic in returnzz It is expected to enhance price-

competitiveness of Railway vis-a-vis other modes of transport and expand freight basket by capturing new traffic.Large-scale de-notification of commodities for container trafficzz As per container haulage

charging policy, notified commo-dities are charged at Container Class Rates (CCR), which is 15% lower than General Tariff Rates (GTR). Rest of the commodities are charged at Freight All Kind (FAK) rates, which are even lower than CCR. Recently, 90 more commo dities have been de-notified, which bro ught down their haul age charge from CCR to FAK rates.zz Now, out of total

635 commodities in Goods Tariff, only 38 commo dities are under no tified/ CCR rates (11 of these are POL co mmodities).Freight Marketing initiativeszz Induction of more

New Modified Goods car rakes and intro-duction of new design

of Bi level auto car wagons (BCACBM wagons).zz Rationalization of Road Railer

with 4 new weight slabs instead of earlier 3 weight slabs. More competitive rates.zz Weight and weighment

conditions relaxed in perishable traffic when loaded in goods wagonsMeasures to enhance ease of business and digitisationPan-India Implementation of eT-RRzz Facility of Electronic Tran-

smission of Railway Receipts (eT-RR) has been successfully imple-mented across the country wef 1 August, 2019zz eT-RR is user-friendly and pap-

erless transaction system where Railway Receipt is generated and transmitted electronically to customer through Freight Opera-tion Information System (FOIS). Delivery of goods is given through

e-surrender of eT-RR. That is, cu-stomer is saved the hassle of carry ing physical Railway Receipt from originating to destination station

This facility is expected to bring down the transaction costs of rail customers, and also pave the way for greater digitisation.Weighment-related reformszz Pre-weigh bin system for

weighment of goods traffic has been permitted in private sidings. This is expected to bring down the time for Weighment and loading, and also bring in higher accuracy in Weighment. It shall go a long way in redressing the issues related to Weighment.zz As per earlier policy, if a second

Weighment of wagons was done, the higher of the two reading was considered final for charging or levy of penalty. Now, the policy has been modified to state that second

weighment will be considered final for charging. This policy change makes the provision of second weighment meaningful and is expected to redress customers’ grievance in accuracy of Weighment.zz Low density

commodities like Pet Coke, Met Coke, Chuni and De-oiled cake have also been exempted from mandatory weighment. This is likely to save transit time and increase fluidity, which translate in to cost saving for customers also. ¥

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Writers

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Contributors

October 2019 29

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New General Manager, Central Railway

New General Manager, North Western Railway

Shri Sanjeev Mittal, an officer of 1982 batch of Indian Railway

Service of Engineers (IRSE) has taken over as General Manager of Central Railway on 19th September, 2019. Prior to this he was Chief Administrative Officer (Const.), South Eastern Railway, Kolkata.

He completed his post graduation in Structural Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He had a brilliant academic career where he bagged three gold medals including Chancellor’s Medal at IIT, Roorkee. Under his leadership as Chief Administrative Officer (Cons.), South Eastern Railway has won the Civil Engineering Construction Shield jointly with

Shri Anand Prakash assumed charge as the General Manager

of North Western Railway on 19th Septemer, 2019. Before joining as GM he was posted as Additional General Manager at North Eastern Railway. Shri Anand Prakash is an experienced officer of “Indian Railway Service of Engineers” of 1982 batch. Shri Anand Prakash has graduated in Civil Engineering from Engineering College, Gwalior and has done Post Graduation from Roorkee University. Shri Prakash earned an MBA Degree

South Western Railway at the recent 64th Railway Week National Awards function held at Mumbai. He has held several important assignments such as Chief Engineer (Track Machines), Chief Engineer (Planning) and had a long association with the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation as Chief Engineer. He was also Chief Bridge Engineer, South Western Railway, Divisional Railway Manager, Hubballi, South Western Railway, Chief Safety Officer, Western Railway, Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Vigilance Officer, East Central Railway.

from the Indira Gandhi National Open University in 2013.

During his illustrious career, Shri Anand Prakash has successfully discharged his respon-sibilities at key posts of Indian Railways. Shri Prakash has experience of working as Additional General Manager, Eastern Railway, Kolkata, Chief Track Engineer, South East Central Railway, Bilaspur, Divisional Railway Manager, Palghat, Southern Railway

Shri Mittal made exceptional contr-ibution to the Indian Railway when he launched PSC girder of 800 MT by using novel technology in which tidal energy was used to transport and

launch the girder at piers in construction of 2 bridges totalling 2 km in length across Vasai Creek near Mumbai. Shri Mittal has considerable experience in the tunnelling technology. He has visited at least 20 countries on various occasions for training etc., which also included subjects like High Speed and Heavy Haul Technologies. ¥

& Executive Director (IRCON) etc. While working as Executive Director in IRCON, Shri Prakash spear-headed the commi-ssioning of the Pir Panjal Tunnel (Jammu

and Kashmir), the largest railway tunnel in the country. Shri Anand Prakash received training in Strategic Management at Milano, Italy and Pittsburgh, USA. He has a keen interest in Yoga, meditation, reading and travelling. ¥

Shri Sanjeev Mittal

Shri Anand Prakash

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CENTRAL NEWS

New General Manager, Southern Railway

Shri John Thomas has taken over the charge of General Manager

of Southern Railway on 19th September, 2019. He is of 1982 batch of Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE).

Shri John Thomas completed his graduation (B.Sc.,) in Electrical Engineering with Honours at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He started his career in Indian Railways in 1984 and in over three decades of service, has held several important assign-ments in Central Railway, South Central Railway and Southern Railway. Amongst the important assignments he has held are - Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Chennai Division, Chief Electrical Traction Engineer, Chief Electrical Loco Engineer and Chief Safety Officer in Southern Railway; Divisional Railway Manager, Solapur Division, Central Railway;

Chief Electrical Engineer, South Central Railway and Chief Project Manager, Railway Electrification, Chennai.

Prior to his present posting, Shri Thomas served as Additional General Manager, South Central Railway. During his stint as Additional General Manager, South Central Railway, Shri John Thomas has initiated various innovative me asures towards handling issues concerning Public Grievances, review of Zonal Performance on critical aspects as Safety, Security, Punctuality, Operational efficiency and business. He was also instru-mental in handling the massive relief measures undertaken by South Central Railway to render succor to victims of floods in Kerala in 2018, intensively coordinating the entire operations from all over

the Zone. Prior to this, as Chief Electrical Engineer of South Central Railway, he led the Zone to achieve National Level reco-gnition in energy con-se rvation, enabling the Zone to earn a record

nine National Energy Conservation Awards for 2016 from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power and Government of India. He has also been instrumental in initiating efforts towards better work efficiency and boosting work force morale among the Loco running staff of the Zone.

Shri John Thomas has travelled widely for training and study programmes abroad that include training in design of power converters for 3-phase ABB locos at Turgi & Zurich, Oerlikon and Switzerland. ¥

Shri John Thomas

New General Manager, South Eastern Railway

Shri Sanjay Kumar Mohanty

Shri Sanjay Kumar Mohanty has taken

over as the New General Manager of South Eastern Railway, Kolkata on 20 September, 2019. Prior to this, Shri Mohanty was posted as Principal Executive Director, Traffic Transportation.

Shri Mohanty also worked in various important posts in Indian

Railways like Chief Vigilance Officer in East Coast Railway, Divisional Railway Manager at Khurda Road. Shri Mohanty’s contribution towards making Khurda Road Division the leading freight loading Division of Indian Railways is noteworthy.

Shri Mohanty is an alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics and

belongs to the 1985 batch of Indian Railways Traffic Service (IRTS). He is the youngest son of Late Krushna Prasad Mohanty, the well known advocate of Balasore. Shri Sanjay Kumar Mohanty has also worked with distinction in various senior capacities at Mumbai, Nagpur, Jhansi and in Konkan Railway and well-known as a system-builder and for innovations in administration. ¥

New General Manager, Rail Wheel Factory

Shri Rajiv Kumar Vyas, IRSS, has taken over

as General Ma nager, Rail Wheel Factory on 19 September, 2019. Prior to this, he was holding the post of Adviser (Railway Stores), Railway Board.

Shri Rajiv Kumar Vyas, a Civil Engineer from IIT/Delhi has a Master’s degree in Business Administration

(Finance). He belongs to the 1982 batch of the Indian Railways Stores Service.

During his tenure of more than 36 years in Indian Railways, he has held key posts in Northern Railway, North Central Railway, South Central Railway and

Diesel Locomotive Modernization Workshop. He has also served in

other Railway organizations like Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) and Central Organization for Modernization of Workshop (COFMOW) and Railway Board.

He has vast experience in General Management and Materials Management.

He is also Founder Member of Indian Railway Institute of Logistics and Material Management (IRILMM). ¥

Shri Rajiv Kumar Vyas

October 2019 31

CENTRAL NEWS

Indian Railways

New General Manager, Modern Coach Factory

Shri Vinay Mohan Srivastava has

assumed charge as General Manager, Modern Coach Factory, Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh on 19th September, 2019. He belongs to 1982 batch of Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE). Prior to this, he was serving as Principal Chief Signal & Telecommunications Engineer, South Central Railway.

He earned the Bachelors Degree in Engineering (B.Tech, ECE) from Government College of Engineering, Jabalpur and went on to complete his Masters Degree in Digital Electronics from IIT, Kanpur.

After completion of initial training, he has worked all over Indian Railways in various capacities, viz. Assistant Signal & Telecommunications Engineer

(ASTE) in Jhansi Division, Central Railway, Divisional Signal & Teleco mmu-nications Engi neer, Dy. Chief Signal & Telecommunications Engineer in Metro-politan Transport Project Organization, Mumbai for 2 ½ years.

During this tenure, important projects and reversal facility for Sub-urban train at Raoli Junction of Central Railway was commissioned and for the first time in the history of Mumbai, Sub-urban services were extended beyond Mankhurd to Navi-Mumbai crossing the Thane Creek, later posted in Research Design and Standards Organization Inspection wing at Mumbai.

Upon transfer to Northeast Frontier Railway, Shri Srivastava worked in Construction Organization of the Zone involved in detailed planning and monitoring of strategically important various

New Line, Doubling and Gauge conversion projects in far North East region of the country. Thereafter, he served as Chief Signal and Telecommunications Engineer/Works on Western Railway for 4 ½ years during which he was instrumental in commissioning of number of Route Relay, Panel, Electronic Interlocking and other Safety works besides establishing of Optic Fiber Cable Network in Rajkot and Bhavnagar Divisions of Western Railway. He was in charge of Signalling Operations (Maintenance) for six years on Western and Central Railway which involved upkeep of Signalling system of Mumbai Sub-urban section to deal with the busiest Sub-urban traffic system in the country. During the same period, he was also involved in conversion of Signalling systems of Western and Central Railways, necessary for the conversion of track from DC to AC. ¥

New General Manager, Rail Coach Factory

Shri Ravinder Gupta, an officer of Indian

Railway Services of Mechanical Engineer has taken over as General Manager, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. Prior to this assignment he was working as Principal Executive Director Mechanical Engineering/Workshop at Railway Board, New Delhi. Shri Gupta joined Indian Railways in 1984. He has held key posts in Indian Railways in various capacities. He served as

Divisional Railway Manager at Malda in Eastern Railway.

He was Admistrative Officer in Indian Railways Organisation of Alternate Fuels in 2016-17 and later served as Prinicpal Chief Mechanical Engineer in

Eastern Railway, Kolkatta. He has made significant

contributions in Indian Railways and is credited for creating CTS scheem (Clean Train Station), along with OBHS concept which was implemented nation wide for

improving cleaning of running trains. He also created designs of coaches for Jan Shatabdi Trains, High Capacity Parcel Van which is main stay of Parcel earnings of Indian Railways, Refrigerated Parcel Vans etc. He also developed New Wagon design of High Speed and High Capacity Wagons for coal and bulk besides Auto Car Wagons with highest carrying capacity in the world. He is committed to work in bringing excellence in the field of technical as well other curricular activities. ¥

Shri Ravinder Gupta

Shri Vinay Mohan Srivastava


CENTRAL NEWS

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Discounted Fare Scheme to be Implemented by the End of September, 2019

A ‘Discounted fare Scheme for AC Chair Car and Executive Class’

sitting accommodation is to be implemented from the end of September, 2019. The Scheme shall be applicable for AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car accommodation like in Shatabdi, Gatimaan, Tejas, Double Decker, Intercity trains etc.

The Powers to discount these fares is delegated to Principal Chief Commercial Managers of Zonal Railways. Only trains with monthly occupancy of less than 50% in the previous year are eligible for discount. Discount to be offered can be upto 25% of the base fare.

Reservation fee, superfast charge, GST, etc., as applicable will be separate. Discount can be given for the first leg and/or last leg of journey and/or intermediate sections and/or end to end journey. There is a provision to make catering optional with the discounted fare. Discounted fare can be for the full year, part of the year or month wise or seasonal or for weekdays/weekend.

Accordingly, all Zonal Railways have been directed by the Commercial Directorate of the Railway Board to review the occupancy of all trains with Chair Car and Executive Class seating accommodation by the 30

September, 2019 and take suitable action. This scheme is aimed at improving occupancy and earnings.

It is further decided that the existing discounted scheme in following trains shall continue as per the existing discounted principles.zz 12007/12008 Chennai Central-

Mysuru Shatabdi Express over Benguluru-Mysuru-Bengaluru section,zz 12010 Ahemdabad-Mumbai

Central Shatabdi train over Ahemdabad-Vadodara sectionzz 12042 New Jalpaiguri-Horah

Shatabdi Express over Jalpaiguri-Malda town section. ¥

Indian Railways is Committed to Service, Safety & Punctuality as Technological Transformations are brought about

Indian Railways is committed to service, safety & punctuality as

technological transformations are brought about. The Chairman, Railway Board interacting with media in New Delhi on 9 September, 2019 said that serious endeavours

are being made on the safety and security front which are yielding positive results. He pointed out that there have been no passenger fatalities during the current financial year as the result of very conscious efforts. While Safety is given priority,

every effort is made to stick to punctuality. Efforts are also to improve passenger ame nities and facilities through various measures that are being planned to be introduced over the next few months on the catering front etc. ¥

Big Relief to Indian Railways Passengers

In a significant passenger-friendly move, Ministry of Railways has

decided to rationalize the fare structure and composition of Humsafar class of trains making them more affordable and comfortable. It will be a big relief to the Indian Railways passengers who can now enjoy the modern facilities of Humsafar trains at lower rates. Firstly, the existing variable fare system of the Humsafar class of trains has been done away with which means these trains will now have only ‘fixed’ fare system. Secondly, the base fare of Humsafar trains will be 1.15 times of the base fare of Mail/Express Trains and not “Superfast” Mail/Express Trains which will lead to reduction in the Humsafar base fare. Thirdly, the Tatkal charges in Humsafar have also been reduced from existing 1.5 times of Humsafar base fare to app ro ximately 1.3 times of Humsafar base fare. These Tatkal charges will be subject to maximum and minimum limit like normal Tatkal rule. This means that Tatkal fare in Humsafar trains has been

zz Passengers to enjoy modern facilities of Humsafar Trains at lower rateszz Rationalization the Fare Structure

and Composition of Humsafar trainszz Existing Variable fare system of

Humsafar Trains done away with and to have only ‘fixed’ fare systemzz Base fare of Humsafar trains

reducedzz Tatkal Charges also reduced

bringing it at par with Normal Tatkal Ruleszz Sleeper class coaches to be

attached in addition to existing only 3AC class coaches

brought equivalent to the Normal Tatkal Rule of other Mail/Express trains (Humsafar base fare + Normal Class wise Tatkal charges). Fourthly, Sleeper class coaches will also be attached in addition to existing only 3AC class coaches as per the requirement and as per the decision of the Zonal Railways. Fifthly, tickets under current booking after the first charting shall be sold with 10% discount on the applicable basic fare

and other supplementary charges like all other trains. The revised fare structure shall be implemented w.e.f Advance Reservation Period/No booking date after making required changes in PRS system. The attachment of the sleeper class coaches has already been started w.e.f 13th September, 2019. Four Sleeper class coaches have already been attached in Anand Vihar-Allahabad Humsafar Express on 13th September, 2019. Other charges like reservation fee, superfast surcharge, GST etc., as applicable shall be levied separately. Catering shall be optional.

Vacant berths left after first charting would be offered for current booking. Tickets under current booking shall be sold with 10% discount on the applicable basic fare and other supplementary charges like reservation fee, superfast charges, GST etc., as applicable shall be levied in full. The advance reservation period (ARP) shall be 120 days. Issue of tickets on warrants shall be allowed. Normal cancellation and refund rule shall apply. ¥

NEWS BULLETIN


¥

NEWS BULLETIN


Ministry of Railways Decides to Adopt HOG System in all Trains of LHB Coaches

Till date, 342 trains have already been converted into HOG. This is resulting in saving of approximate Rs 800 crore

The way ACs run and power supply is done in railway coaches is to

transform. Such new technological transformation is also to bring in foreign exchange saving of about 1400 Crore Rupees per year.

In the new technology called - Head on Generation technology, the power will be drawn from the Overhead Electric supply. The power generator cars which used to make huge noise and emit fumes will no more be there. In place of two such generator cars there will be one standby silent generator car to be used for emergency. In place of the other car, there will be LSLRD (LHB Second Luggage, Guard & Divyaang Compartment). This LSLRD will also have capability to convert power from the overhead supply to be utilised in the entire train while providing space for lug gage guard room and additional pa ss engers. Currently, the cost of power is over Rs. 36 per unit and with HOG it will available at Rs. 6 Per unit. Giving these details, Member, Rolling Stock, Shri Rajesh Agarwal said that it is planned to convert all LHB trains to HOG system within this year. Till date 342 trains have already been converted into HOG. This is resulting in saving of approximate Rs 800 crore per year now. 284 more trains are to be converted into HOG by the year end to be resulting in more savings. In the year 2017, decision has been taken for complete switch over to LHB technology. After this decision, adoption of HOG conversion has been taken in mission mode to complete this work in time bound manner. The work involved modification in electrical system of power cars and coaches: All new coaches from Production Units are to be HOG compliant. The con-version work has been allotted to Zonal Railways and with the dedicated efforts of field officers; This will provide noise free and pollution environment for passenger at station.

Brief about Head on Generation system

Head on Generation system is electrical power supply system where electrical power for catering hotel load of train, which includes Train Lighting, Air conditioning, Lighting, fannage and other passenger interface requirement working on electrical power supply. This scheme is widely used power supply system by Railways world over. The power in this system is received from locomotive. With introduction of this scheme heavy underslung power generating equipment gets eliminated. Further it also reduces use of Diesel sets employed in power cars in End on Generation system. In the year 1996, Indian railways entered into ToT agreement with Linke Hofmann Busch Germany. The LHB coaches have been designed to run on End on Generation system with two power cars employing two DG sets on either end.

During the period from 2000 to 2017, both LHB and ICF coaches used to be manufactured in Railway Production Units. LHB coaches continued to be manufactured with EOG power supply system employing two power cars at either

Break up of Trains already converted to HOG

Type of Trains

Number of Trains

Rajdhani 13Shatabdi 14Duronto 11Sampark Kranti 06Humsafar 16Other Mail/ Express

282

Total 342

Break up of Trains to be converted to HOGType of Trains

Number of Trains

Rajdhani 12Shatabdi 08Duronto 06Sampark Kranti 07Humsafar 08Other Mail/ Express 243Total 284

end. Whereas ICF coaches with self generating technology employing belt driven alternators in bogies continued to be manufactured.

Cost of electricity generation from DG set and in self generating coaches is very high resulting into increase in diesel consumption and substantial operating expenditure

Energy cost per unit in different power supply system of coachesType of coaches Cost of

Electricity (Rs per unit)

Self Generating (Diesel Traction)

36.14

Self Generating (Electric Traction)

12.37

End on Generation (EOG)

22

Head on Generation

6

Reduction in air and noise pollution from EOG to HOG EOG HOG

CO2 1724.6 Tons per annum

Nil

NOX 7.48 Tons per annum

Nil

Advantages of HOG SystemIn Rs (Crore)

Annual savings on account of ongoing conversion work

759

Total Savings after completion of HOG conversion work

1390


Naharlagun station, Arunachal Pradesh. The gateway to the land of orchids, Unparalleled

greenery and dawn lit mountains. Direct trains

connect the national capital to this easternmost state of

India.

Railways has connected another 23 stations to free Wi-Fi, totaling 2,843 stations nationwide. Find the list: http://bit.

ly/WiFi15Aug19 Use the Wi-Fi at stations to check out http://RailDrishti.in portal, a one stop solution for all

Railway related enquiries.

TOP : Visited #Naharlagun railway station in #ArunachalPradesh & interacted with the cleaning staff. The station premises was remarkably clean. Was glad to find a keen sense

of awareness among people about non usage of plastics for a cleaner & greener India.

ABOVE : Inspected #Bogibeel Bridge (#Dibrugarh) and interacted with the officers and appreciated their efforts.

First time in the country, Indian Railways has installed a PET bottle crushing machine in the LHB pantry car

(03840 WR). Capacity 3000 bottles/day enable recycling of 90% PET waste bottles from 200 ml-2.5

litre size. Carbon footprint reduced by 100% recycling & avoids littering

INFOGRAPHICS


Indian Railways’ Integral Coach Factory(ICF) in collaboration with Department of Posts has recently

released a commemorative stamp on indian railways' first indigenous semi high speed train set

Vande Bharat Express.

Indian Railways UTS on Mobile application has been selected for “Gems of Digital India” award this year by Coeus Age, a consulting organisation which

gives this award annually to IT applications. Award is based on users feedback & media information and not through nominations.

Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat: Railways is installing Bio-toilets in a mission mode in train coaches, phasing out conventional toilets. 2,17,592 environment-friendly toilets made their way to 60,594

train coaches.

Railways clampdown on plastic use aims to minimise the generation of plastic waste in trains and stations. Join us in our

march to build a sustainable future by using reusable carry bags and recycling plastic bottles through bottle crushing machines

installed at stations.

Warangal railway station in Telangana is a beautiful amalgamation of heritage design with modern architecture.

With refurbished halls, well-lit atmosphere & utmost cleanliness, the station is sure to embark you on an

enjoyable journey.

Mega vendor meet, held at RDSO Lucknow, is attended by 650 representatives from Industries. Chairman Railway Board Sh. V.K.Yadav, through video conferencing, exhorted the industry fraternity to be a partner in progress of Indian Railways and

strengthening IR’s supply chain


The TPR turbochargers bring enhanced operations for modern medium-speed traction applications. Combined with ABB’s VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry) the TPR greatly extends the flexibility of locomotives to better manage the typical operating variations of rail traction, particularly load modulation and ambient conditions. With VTG, full engine power can be enabled under extreme temperatures and at altitude conditions. VTG can reduce fuel costs in a typical heavy haul rail application by up 4% in combination with engine optimization.Find out how we can enhance your engine’s potential: abb.com/turbocharging

— Greater flexibility with high performance turbocharging

Facilities for Persons with Disabilites – ‘Divyangjan’A Report by PR Deptt., South Central Railway

The Union Government’s policy plans, laying down standards in

terms of facilities and access to transportation for meeting the needs of the valued persons with disabilities - Divyangjan has found its echo on the Railways.

Acting to accord priority to this vital aspect in terms of betterment

of user convenience to serve the needs of this special section of rail travelers, Ministry of Railways has envisioned that all the required short and long term initiatives are undertaken to enhance facilities for Divyangjan at railway stations basing on the category of the stations.

Going further, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways has spelt out his aim to ensure that a disabled friendly toilet is provided for use every where on the Railways.

The short and long term facilities being undertaken by the Railways for Divyangjan are as follows -

REPORT


NFR’S “Plan BEE” Wins the Best Innovation Award in Indian Railways for 2018-19

The system developed by N.F. Railway to keep wild elephants

away from crossing the railway track by playing the amplified sound of honey bees has won the 1st prize for best innovation award in Indian Railways for the year 2018-19. The 1st prize comprise of a citation along with a cash award of ` 3 lakhs.

With a large portion of its track passing through vast areas of forest land which are home to various wild animals including elephants; NFR has been facing the serious problem of elephant dashing, posing a threat both to the trains and to the elephant population in the vicinity of tracks.

Although there are as many as 29 earmarked corridors where trains slow down and signs are fixed for drivers to observe the speed restrictions, elephants have ventured into the path of trains even in non corridor areas, often leading to accidents resulting

in elephant’s death. From the year 2013 up to June 2019; a total of 67 elephants were knocked down in train –elephant dashing. While elephant population in Assam itself is 5620; there are few thousands in Dooars area of North Bengal also.

Desperate to find a way to tackle the problem, Rangiya Division field officers in consultation with Forest Department counter parts, worked on the idea of using certain deterrents to repel elephants from the tracks. The then Divisional Railway Manager Shri Ravilesh Kumar took the lead to form a team comprising Shri Santosh Kr. Sharma, Addl. Divisional Railway Manager, Sr. Divisional Engineer/ III Shri Sitesh Das, Sr. Divisional Safety Officer Shri Suresh Prasad, Shri Avdesh Verma, Divisional Engineer/Rangiya, Shri R.K. Dhaka, Divisional Engineer/Rangiya and Shri Pinku, Asst. Divisional Engineer/Rangiya who carried out the first testing of honey bee buzz

on a pet elephant. When the second testing was conducted in Phulbari Tea Estate under Rangiya Division, it was found that the elephant starting moving away once the Honey Bee sound was generated. Following the successful trial, an equipment was designed to generate

amplified sound of Honey Bee audible from a distance of about 700-800 mts.

The first instrument was installed at level crossing gate NN-274 between Azara and Kamakhya station under Rangiya Division. Finding the results very encouraging, the instrument was installed in many level crossing gates in the zone located in the vicinity of forest areas.

Presently 46 such equipments have been installed all over NFR. The gateman posted in level crossing gate where the device has been installed claim that its use is very helpful to divert herds of elephants, especially when trains are approaching and dashing become almost eminent.

It is to be mentioned that through this and a mix of other measure, NFR has been able to save as many as 1014 elephants since 2014 till June, 2019 which itself is a commendable achievement. ¥

Short term facilities zz Standard ramp with railing for

barrier free entryzz Earmarking at least two parking

lots for vehicles used by Divyangjan

zz Non-slippery walk-way from parking lot to station building

zz Signage’s of appropriate visibility

zz At least one drinking water tap suitable for use by Divyangjan

zz At least one toilet on the ground floor

zz May I help you booth

Long term facilitieszz Engraving of edges of platformzz Trolley path for Divyangjan (for

inter platform navigation)Taking the cue, South Central

Railway has undertaken various mea sures to better the accessibility at railway stations on its network to persons with disability - Divya-ngjan. Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, SCR has focused his atte-ntion on the matter and has envi-saged that a concrete plan of action be implemented by all the Six Divisions on the Zone i.e., Secun-derabad, Hyderabad, Vijaya wada, Guntur, Guntakal and Nanded tow-ards upgrading the passenger amenities and facilities for Divya-ngjan on the system, and main-taining the same.

Railway Stations which are the focal points of rail passenger inter-face are critical areas which require enhanced facilities for the Divya-ngjan. The stations are broadly di-vi ded into Non-Suburban Grade (NSG) and Suburban Grade (SG) basing on the criteria of earnings and outward bound passenger traffic.

Out of 754 Railway Stations on South Central Railway, 30 stations fall under NSG 1 to 3 category (which are the top three Non Suburban categories as per revenue and traffic). All the short term as well as long term Divyangjan facilities has been provided at these stations. Secunderabad station comes under NSG1, while Hydera-bad, Vijayawada, Kacheguda, Nanded and Tirupati come under NSG2 category. Stations like

va rious needy sections of rail users with limited mobility, to make use of the wheel chairs to commute within the railway station premises. Prominently displayed pictorial signage boards highlighting the availability of Wheel Chairs at the stations along with contact number are provided at all major stations, near the Entrance and at the Enquiry offices. The Wheel Chair facility comes free of cost for needy passengers, in case of self handling i.e. by any of the accompanying persons. Assi stance of railway licensed po rters can be utilized if required on payment of prescribed porterage charges. In addition, Battery Ope rated Carts are also being used at some of the major railway stations, wherever feasible.

Elevators/Lifts for smooth movement at Railway Stations

In order to facilitate easy movement of differently abled passen gers besides other needy sections of passengers at major railway sta tions, high capacity elevators / lifts are being provided at various major railway stations. The facility is pre requisite for mobility of rail users between the entrance/exit and va rious platforms at the railway sta tions. Requirements of the sta tions are analyzed accord ingly pro vision of elevators/lifts is und er taken, basing on relative priority, availability of resources and feasibility for provision of the facility. As on date, 61 Lifts are available at 27 Railway Stations on SCR, while work is under progress for provision of 14 Lifts at seven more railway stations.

Lingampalli, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Guntakal, Kadapa, Anantapur etc. are categorized under NSG3. 33 stations come under NSG 4 category, out of which 31 stations have already been provided with all short term and long term facilities while works on the same are nearing completion on the rema-ining 2 stations. Major Stations like Anakapalle, Man chiryal, Dharma-varam, Rama gundam etc fall into the NSG4 Category. The remaining 499 railway stations on SCR are classified under NSG5 & NSG6 category. Many of the facilities like Standard ramp, Toilets, Drinking water taps, Walkway have been provided at these NSG5, NSG6 category stations on the entire Zone. Other Divyangjan facilities are in the offing at these stations in a phased manner. SCR has 21 Subu-rban Group (SG) category stations, all of which are in the limits of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, being catered by the MMTS services. Basing on the revenue and footfalls, these 21 stations are classified in SG3 category, all Short term facilities have been provided in majority of these stations, while works are in progress in remaining stations. In case of Halt category stations, most of the short term facilities like Standard Ramp, Toilets, Drinking water taps, non slippery walkway have been provided as per the requirement in such stations.

Wheel Chair Facility to help needy sections of rail users

SCR has prioritized the need for equipping all important railway stations with Wheel chair facilities so as to facilitate convenience for

REPORT


Western Railway Prepares Action Plan for Next 5 Years for Rain Water Harvesting

A Report by PR Deptt., Western Railway

Western Railway has chalked out an action plan for the

next 5 years on how water can be conserved. Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting work will be continued in the coming years & during the year 2019-20, it is planned to provide RWH at 39 locations.

All railway buildings having roof top area more than 200 sqm will be provided with rain water harvesting

system. In Mumbai division it is planned to have Roof Top Rain Harvesting and Surface Rain Water Harvesting at 40 locations. Regular auditing of location where water consumption is more than 5 lakh litres per day has will be done, so as to ensure that wastage and leakage is minimized. Water meters will be installed in major service buildings, workshops, depots/

sheds, stations etc at major water consuming loca tions for measurement and acco untal of water con sumption. It is planned to introduce automatic valves with a built in actuating mechanism. This will result in reduction of manpower. SCADA (Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition) based control system will be used for optimizing the functioning of

REPORT


Head-On-Generation (HOG) System – A New Technology Introduced in Telangana Express

A Report by PR Deptt. of South Central Railway

Head On Generation

system, a new technology has been introduced in Telangana Express which is started on 7 August, 2019 for catering the power needs of the coaches such as coach lighting and Air conditioning.

Earlier, there were two power cars known as End On Generators (EOG) are available on both the ends of Telangana Express for providing lighting and air conditioning in the coaches. These power cars produce electricity by diesel generator for supplying to coaches. Each power car required 40 litres of diesel per hours per non ac coach and around 65 to 70 litres of diesel per hour per coach in case of AC coach.

In order to lessen diesel consumption and carbon footprint, a state-of-the-art new technology Head On Generation (HOG) system has been introduced in Telangana Express.So far, the power supply tapped from power linesthrough pantograph to the train engine is used only to run the engine and

haul the coaches. Now in this new system power supply tapped from overhead to the train engine will be distributed to the trailing coaches.

This new system does not re-quire any diesel oil consumption and as such will reduces air pollu-tion and also noise pollution. In addition, it also provides uninte-rrupted illumination in the coaches. On an average it will reduce carbon emission by 700 MT per year per train in regular practice for a train provided with two power cars equipped with diesel alternator sets. The average expenditure incurred on fuel consumption per trip per each train of Telangana Express is around ` 2 lakhs.

Whereas the electrical energy consumption cost per trip per train in the new system is around ` 78,000. The estimated savings for each trip of Telangana Express is appro-ximately ` 1.22 lakh and the overall estimated savings per year is around ` 1.35 crore.

All the existing Telangana Express trains will now run on Head On Generation System. Two more

trains namely Train No. 22707 / 22708 Visakhapatnam - Tirupati- Visakhapatnam Express and Train No. 22705 / 22706 Tirupati - Jammutawi - TirupatiHumsafar Express are also running with the new technology of Head on Generation system from South Central Railway.

Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway appreciated the efforts of staff and officers of SCR on this achievement and advised to extend the same for some more trains to adopt environmentally friendly initiatives by reducing carbon foot prints and also fuel consumption measures. ¥

pumping system. Pumping automi-sation is also planned to avoid over flow and wastage by water from overhead tanks.

Due to fast depleting water table a large number of bore wells have died. A total of 71 dry open wells on Western Railway are planned for recharging. All dry wells are planned to be recharged in the next 2 years. A large number of subways have been constructed in lieu of the Level crossings. The general topography of a large number of subways is such that the rain water gets accumulated in the subway portion as well on its approaches. To drain off the storm water collected, it is proposed to collect the storm water & channelize it into adjoining sump which will, apart from improving the drainage, greatly aid in re-charging the water table.

Shri Bhakar stated that water is extremely vital in the everyday life of everyone in the world, be it humans, plants or animals. Eliminating water would eliminate our species, as we all depend on the necessity of water. Western Railway on its part, as a social responsibility is making all efforts to conserve water. A series of small things brought together, will go a big way for the future. Various efforts are made by Western Railway to plug the loss of water which may arise due to leakages, over flow & over consumption.

Leakage being a major source of loss of water, the valves have been fixed, as well as leakage through pipe line has been plugged. The occupants of railway quarters, valve man, Carriage & Workshop staff and cleaning cont ractor staff have been counselled on the importance of saving water. The old corroded pipe lines have either been repaired or replaced depending upon its condition. Use of sprinkler on play grounds and other gardens is being done for optimum use of water. Push cock taps and Aerator taps have been provided at some water huts & in toilets. Many of the stations have

been painted with slogans ‘Save Water-Save Energy’.

During the year 2018-19 Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting(RWH) has been completed at 49 locations and during 2017-18 at 17 locations. RWH aids in increasing the ground water table. At Ahmedabad division recharge of ground water by rain water harvesting at LHS/RUB, various railway buildings & sheds are being done. Rain Water Harvesting has been completed in 19 structures and is planned to be done at 29 LHS and 22 station buildings in the next 5 years. Water harvesting has been done at Pratapnagar division office and Nadiad and it is planned to be done at 10 more locations on Vadodara division like Pratapnagar hospital, Electric Loco shed, Petlad, Cambay station building etc and at all LHS sites. Water recycling plant of 1 MLD capacity is under installation at Bandra Terminus and is expected to be completed in 3 months. Such water recycling plants will be set up at 4 other locations on Mumbai division in the coming years. Survey for water recycling plant has been planned at major stations of Vadodara division.

Waterless urinals have been ins-talled in Vadodara station and 30 more are planned. 185 aerated taps are proposed for the water fountains and wash basins at Vadodara station. Water meters have been installed at stalls on stations for curbing wastage of water and further 18 more such water meters are pro posed to be installed on Vadodara division. Hydrant valves are being used for train watering.

Platform and apron washing is being done by jet spray as against pipe supply. Regular in-house audit of water supply system was done at Vadodara, Ankleshwar, Nadiad, Dabhoi, Bharuch, Anand and Godhra. Recharging of dry well is proposed to be done at Modasa station and Pratapnagar railway hospital.

On Rajkot division at Vani Road railway colony, an open dry well

has been cleaned and recharged. In the coming years 21 dry open wells will be cleaned for recharging to conserve water. Saline water is being converted into potable water by installing RO at Okha.

Roof top rain harvesting system has been installed at Running Room & Subordinate Rest house at Rajkot. It is proposed to provide roof top rain water harvesting system at 8 more locations during the year and in the next five years 50 percent of railway stations and railway colonies on Rajkot division are targeted to be provided with this system.

On Ratlam division, 2 stations viz Chittaurgarh & Sehore have initially been taken up to take simple measures to save water. Due to the little efforts like plugging leakages, counselling etca considerable percentage of water could be saved at these stations. The water supply too has been controlled as per the weather. In Chittaurgarh during the period from 1 April, 2017 to 30 September, 2017, 1.95 lakh litre of water was being consumed per day i.e 3.51 crore litres in 180 days. But during the year 2018 in the same period 3.24 crore water was consumed, that is reduction of 27 lakh litres of water which is a saving of almost 8 per cent.

Similarly, at Sehore station 12.60 lakh litres of water was saved in 180 days i.e 6 per cent water was saved. Sewage treatment plant of 0.6 MLD capacity is under installation at Dahod and will be completed in August’ 2019. Desilting of Kali dam at Dahod has been carried to increase the storage capacity of dam which has greatly facilitated in ensuring adequate water supply at Dahod station, work shop and colony.

Shri Bhakar stated that to preserve our natural resources, actions and attitudes towards sustainability must stay at a high level throughout all spheres and Western Railway is constantly working towards this goal. ¥

REPORT



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Lifeline Express, the Hospital-on-Wheels Inaugurated at CSMT

Lifeline Express-Hospital on Wheels was inaugurated by Dr.

R. Badri Narayan, Additional General Manager, Central Railway at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on 29 August, 2019. Shri R.C. Sarin, Chairman, Impact India Foundation, Shri Prasanna Kumar, Principal Chief Medical Director, Shri S. K. Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai Division, Shri Dhananjay Naik, Chief Passenger Transportation Manager, Shri V. K. Mehra, Chief Electrical Engineer (RS), Smt Iti Pandey, Chief Comm-ercial Manager (PS), Smt Anjali Sinha, Chief Workshop Manager, Matunga, Shri Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway and other Senior Officers of Central Railway were also present. Earlier, Dr. R. Badri Narayan and Shri R. C. Sarin briefed the Press at

the Heritage hall of CSMT.Indian Railways in partnership

with Impact India Foundation introduced & launched the Lifeline Express – the world’s first hospital on wheels, on 16 July, 1991 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Central Railway with the aim of providing medical care to the poor free of cost in the most

remote corners of the country.The 7 coach train equipped with

the state-of-the-art technology has on board the most advanced me-dical equipments and a dedi cated team of medical professionals to treat patients and even perform surgeries. Central Railway’s Matunga Work shop, where the periodical overhauling of this train is done, has played a significant role in this project. The Lifeline Express has travelled across 19 states of India, covering 201 rural locations in 138 districts providing medical treat ment to 12.32 lakh patients including 1.46 lakh cases of surgery. This includes treatment like, Restored Mobility, Vision, Hearing, Correction of facial deformities, treatment for Epilepsy, Dental problems, Cancer and many more all which are free of cost. ¥

Central Railway

East Coast Railway

View of the ‘Lifeline Express – Hospital on Wheels

As a part of digital initiative and with an aim to go paperless in

office working with promoting Green Railways and also improving transparency & efficiency of the existing official work system, East Coast Railway has started e-Office System which will be a part of National e-governance programme of the government. General Manager, East Coast Railway Shri Vidya Bhushan inaugurated the NIC e-Office System at its headquarters in presence of Additional General Manager Shri Sudhir Kumar and all Principal Heads of the Departments of ECo Railway on 18 September, 2019.

This e-Office System will be a great platform towards paperless working of day to day activities and to bring transparency & efficiency in office functioning. This system will also promote green initiative.

E-Office is a cloud enabled software developed by Nation Info-r matics Centre (NIC) that is being deployed/hosted from RailTel Tier

ECoR Implemented e-Office System in Office Working

III certified data Centres at Secundrabad and Gurgaon. It is based on Central Secretariat Manual of e-Office Procedure (CSMeOP). The product is built as single reusable system by bringing together independent functions and systems under a single framework to enhance transparency, increase accoun-tability and transform the govern-ment work culture and ethics.

This system is initiated in a single framework to enhance transparency, increase accounta-bility and transform the govt work with culture and ethics. Currently, four modules viz. File Management

System (e-File), Knowledge Mana-gement System (KMS), Colla-boration & Management Services (CAMS) and Personnel Information Mana gement System (PIMS) will be the part of the e-Office System. The benefit of this system will be visible once the system is fully put to use and Manual File System is stopped. This will continue to be a tool to foster improved reliability, effici-ency and productivity and will be beneficial to Railway employees. E-Office will enhance data security & integrity and promote innovation by releasing staff energy and time from unproductive process and procedures. ¥

Shri Vidya Bhushan is seen inaugurating the NIC e-Office system

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Special Ticket Checking Drive over Northern Railway

Intensive ticket checking drive has been launched over Northern

Railway since 21 August, 2019 for ten days to curb touting activities, ticketless travelling, unauthorized travelling, transfer of ticket cases, misuse of emergency quota, unau-thorized vending / catering, smo-king and littering in railway pre-mises and trains etc. Teams have been formed involving ticket che-cking staff and RPF and inten sive checks have been organized by commercial officers including Sr.DCMs, DCMs and ACMs.zz Check results dated 29 August,

2019: Total 4953 Cases of Without Ticket, Irregular Travel and Un-booked Luggage were detected and the ticket checking earnings of ` 23.37 lakhs were realized.zz Check results dated 21 to 29

August, 2019: Total 40,530 Cases of Without ticket, Irregular travel and Un-booked luggage were detected and the ticket checking earnings of ` 1.84 crore were realized.

Highlights Division WiseDelhi Divisionzz Fortress check was conducted at

Delhi station on 29 August, 2019 by Sr. DCM/C along with their ticket checking staff. During the check 1527 cases detected and ` 7.39 lakhs were realized.

their ticket checking staff at Bareilly-Moradabad-Delhi section on 29 August, 2019. During the check 578 cases detected and ` 2.46 lakhs were realized.

Ambala Divisionzz Fortress check was conducted at

YamuanagarJagadhari station by DME/Ambala on 29 August, 2019 with their ticket checking staff. During the check 25 cases detected and ` 0.10 lakhs were realized.

Moradabad Divisionzz Special check was conducted by

Sr. DCM/Moradabad along with

Lucknow Divisionzz Ambush check was conducted at

Lucknow-Daryabad-Lucknow se-ction by ACM/Lucknow on 28 August, 2019 with their ticket checking staff. During the check 721 cases detected and ` 4.13 lakhs were realized.

Firozpur Divisionzz Special check was conducted on

29.08.19 at Firozpur to Ludhiana section by ACM/Firozpur along with their ticket checking staff. During the check 35 cases detected and ` 0.06 lakhs were realized.

Irregularities detectedzz MPS stall at PF No. 2/3 not

displayed Rate List at Delhi Sarai Rohilla station.zz 2 unauthorized vendors were

caught in train No. 15160 Durg- Chhapra Sarnath Express, handed over to RPF/Bhadohi.zz Trolley No. 24 at PF No. 2/3,

sandwich was being sold without manufacture, name & date, all were removed and destroyed at Jalandhar City station.zz 5 unauthorized vendors were

caught and handed over to RPF at Amritsar. ¥

Northern Railway

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Mega Ticket Checking Drive Over Northern Railway

Ticketless travel is menace that not only results in loss of

railway revenue but also infringe upon the rights of passengers who travel with valid tickets. To curb touting activities, ticketless travelling, unauthorized travelling, transfer of ticket cases, misuse of emergency quota, unauthorized vending / catering, smoking and littering in railway premises and in trains etc., Northern Railway ticket checking teams including Commercial Officers Sr. DCMs, DCMs, ACMs, ticket checking staff and RPF personals conducting intensive ticket checking drives all over Northern Railway Zone.

Ticket checking drive conducted on dated 24 August, 2019 over all the five divisions of Northern Railway resulted to detect 5231 cases of without ticket, Irregular travel and Un booked luggage and a total amount of ` 24.08 lakhs were recovered as fare and penalty.

Division wise major highlights of ticket checking drive conducted on

24 August, 2019 is as under:Delhi Divisionzz Mega Fortress check was

conducted at CSB/New Delhi station on 24 August, 2019 by Sr. DCM/Delhi along with their ticket checking staff. During the check 1388 cases detected and ` 6.58 lakhs were realized.zz 14 cases of non-issue tickets

found in booking office in Delhi.zz Clock was not available in AC

waiting Hall at New Delhi station.zz Trolley No. 4 vendor found

working without uniform, I card & medical at Anand Vihar Terminal station.zz Requisition forms in PRS office

at Anand Vihar Terminal found without seat No, address & phone No.Moradabad Division

Special check was conducted by ACM/Moradabad along with their ticket checking staff over Ghaziabad-Delhi section on 24 August, 2019. During the check 107 cases detected and ` 0.49 lakhs

were realized.Ambala Divisionzz Intensive ticket checking was

conducted at Rajpura Jn station by CMI/HQ/Ambala on 24 August, 2019 with their ticket checking staff. During the check 108 cases detected and ` 0.34 lakhs were realized.Lucknow Divisionzz Intensive ticket checking was

conducted at Barabanki station by Sr. DCM/Lucknow on 24 August, 2019 with their ticket checking staff. During the check 578 cases detected and ` 2.50 lakhs were realized.zz 4 unauthorized vendors are

apprehended at Barabanki station and handed over to RPF.Ferozpur Divisionzz Special check was conducted on

24 August, 2019 at Ferozpur station by Sr. DCM/Ferozpur along with their ticket checking staff. During the check 56 cases detected and ` 0.14 lakhs were realized. ¥

Meeting with Members of ZRUCC

Shri T.P. Singh, General Manager, Northern Railway held a meeting

with the members of the Zonal Rail Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) in New Delhi on 23 August, 2019. This is in accordance with the directives given by Minster of Railways Shri Piyush Goyal, advising General Managers of Zonal Railways to increase public outreach to get feedbacks for providing better service to the nation. Railway related issues in areas falling under Northern Railway were discussed with the nominated members of the committee to find quick solutions for the benefit of the passengers.

Out of the 222 Members of ZRUCC (North Zone), 160 were present in the meeting. The members in unison agreed that railway has been working well in all fields for providing better services to the rail users. They appreciated the railways efforts in connecting the far flung and previously untouched areas of the Northern

India. Members representing Uttrakhand were particularly excited about the new line coming up connecting Rishikesh in the plains to Karnaprayag in the Himalayas. Many more from Punjab, Haryana, UP, Delhi NCR and the newly reorganized Jammu & Kashmir also expressed their views in the meeting.

Shri T.P. Singh, General Manager along with Principal Head of the various Departments and several senior officers of Northern Railway were present on the occasion. The GM welcomed the ZRUCC Members and briefed them about the various developmental activities, new initiatives and the completed, ongoing & planned works relating to passenger amenities,

infrastructure and services at stations and trains within the jurisdiction of Northern Railway.

The members presented various issues related to their area. They exhorted NR to complete the infrastructure and public convenience related projects on top priority. They also volunteered to help wherever there was any co-ordination required with the state administration for timely completion of the projects. Shri T.P. Singh, assured the Members that Northern Railway would resolve the public grievances and issues put forth by them as early as possible. He further said that Northern Railway would always remain committed in the service of the passengers and rail users. ¥

View of the meeting

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


74th Men and 13th Women All India Railway Boxing Championship, 2019-20

74th Men and 13th Women All India Railway Boxing Cham-

pionship 2019-20 organized under the aegis of Railway Board, by Northern Railway Sports Association from 2 to 5 September, 2019 at Karnail Singh Railway Stadium, New Delhi concluded.

69 Men and 29 Women boxers from 13 Zonal Railways and 43 technical officers nominated from Railway Board participated in the Championship and made this event a success.

In the men's event, Northern Railway teams emerged first position having 34 points with 10 medals including 5 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze, while the Central Railways team declared runners up having 20 points with 7 medals including 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze.

In the women category, North Western Railways team stood first having 27 points with 5 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze while Northern Railways women team declared runners up having 10 points by winning 2 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze medals.

In this competition in 69 kg

weight category, Arjun Awardee, two times Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist boxer Shri Manoj Kumar who had also participated in Olympic Games bouted against Shri Dinesh Dagar (North Western Railway), in which Shri Dinesh Dagar won by 3-2. The Bronze Medalist in the World Boxing Championship. Shri Gaurav Vidhuri, (North Western Railway,) bout against the Gold Medalist of the World Youth Boxing Championship, Shri Sachin of Northern Railway. Shri Sachin of Northern Railway won by 4-1.

Women's World Boxing Championship, Silver Medalist & Arjuna Awardee Sonia Lather of North Western Railway, bout against the World Boxing Silver Medalist, Sonia Chahal of Northern Railway. In this bout, Sonia won the

Gold Medal on the basis of points.Many International and National

level boxers of Indian Railways, participated in this Championship.

General Manager, Northern Railway and Chief Patron of Northern Railway Sports Association, Shri T.P. Singh, presented the medals. On the occasion, Chairman of Northern Railway Sports Association, Shri Vijay Sharma, Sports Director of Railway Sports Promotion Board Shri Prem Lochab, Senior Sports Officers of Northern Railway and Arjuna Awardee Shri Naresh Kumar, Mr. Rohash Singh, Shri Ajay Sirohi and Observer of Railway Board Shri Ravindra & Senior Officers from Northern Railway and Railway Board were also present and cheered the players. ¥

Nine Employees Honoured through Safety Award

In keeping with the practice of honouring employees, whose

alertness and prompt action have resulted in averting a possible accident, through Safety Awards and as recognition of meritorious services, Northern Railway honored the services of nine of its employees through Safety Awards at a ceremony held at Northern Railway Headquarters Office, Baroda House, New Delhi on 9 September, 2019. The Awards were presented by Shri T.P. Singh, General Manager, Northern Railway. Also present on this occasion were Ms. Archana Joshi , Additional General Manager, Northern Railway, Smt. Seema Kumar, Principal Chief Safety Officer, Northern Railway and the Principal Heads of all departments

of Northern Railway.

The nine employees who were felicitated by the General Manager for their services are:1. Shri Ram Kirat / Porter / Bilwai of Lucknow division, 2. Shri T.N.Gond / Loco Pilot Mail / Lucknow division.3. Shri Amit Kumar / Assistant Loco Pilot / Lucknow division.4. Shri Ganesh Shankar Shukla/ Gateman /Shrirajnagar of Lucknow division.5. Shri Madan Pal / C.S.M. / Umar Tali of Moradabad division.6. Shri Shakti Ram / Keyman/

Mukerian of Firozpur division.7. Shri Rajendra Singh / Trackman/ Nakodar Jn. of Firozpur division.8. Shri Chandra Bhan / Loco Pilot /Kalka of Ambala division.9. Shri Vishambar Dayal Meena /Kantewala/Pyala of Delhi Division.

The meritorious contributions of all the above named staff were highly appreciated by the General Manager. ¥

Shri T.P. Singh with the awardees

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


North Eastern Railway Helds Winner’s Trophy of “13th All India Railway Women Handball Tournament”

Shri Rajiv Agrawal, General Manager, North Eastern Railway

and Patron of North Eastern Railway Sports Association (NERSA)

inaugurated “13th All India Railway Women Handball Tournament” on

Safety Bulletin “Jagrukta” Released

North Central Railway

On 20 August, 2019, the first issue of the 17th edi tion of

Safety Bulletin "Jagrukta" pub-lished by the Safety Department was rele ased during a weekly-review meeting at the NCR head quarter office chaired by General Manager, North Central Railway Shri Rajiv Chaudhary. While releasing thesafety bulletin, General Manager hoped that, this bulletin will be successful in making the railway employees aware of the safety issues and the updated rules and it will be able to inform them about the reasons for the earlier accidents, so that they are not repeated.On this occasion, a case study booklet related to old incidents was also released.

General Manager also launched the TRACK (Targeted Reference Addressal and Communication

Kiosk) web application today. It is an in-house development of Chief Manager/IT Cell under the supervision of AnshooPandey CM/IT/NCR. This application enables real time letter processing and compiling of Railway Board, MP, MLA, CA-III references, ZRUCC and other important letters online. This application will help in quick disposal of references received from MP/MLA, Railway Board, CRB and other officials.This appli cation

is a blended mixture of new technologies like bootstrap 4.0, Ajax, Jquery, DHTML, PHP and MySql.

Interactive Dashboard, Quick Reminders, Real time Noti fications and Tracking of letters, Dynamic charts & Custo mised reports are some of the sailent features of this application.

S/Shri Krishna Kant Singh (SE/IT), Ashish Kumar (HRS/IT), Amit Kumar (JE/IT), Radhey Shyam Verma (JE/IT), Anil Kumar Patel (PA) and Shri Punit Singh Patel (PA) are the core members of the develo-pment team. On this occasion, all the Principal Heads of Depa rtments of North Central Railway were present and Divisional Railway Manager and Branch Officers of all the three divisions were connected through Video link. ¥

Shri Rajiv Chaudhary releasing first issue of the 17th edition of Safety Bulletin Jagrukta

General Manager Inaugurates ‘e-Office’

General Manager, North Eastern Railway Shri Rajiv Agrawal

inaugurated ‘e-Office’ in the offices of North Eastern Railway Head-quarters on 26 July, 2019 at a meeting organized in G.M.’s conference Hall, Gorakhpur. Shri Anand Prakash, Additional General Manager, Shri Sudhanshu Sharma. Chief Administrative Officer/Construction along with other PHoDs of the Zone.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Agrawal said that in this modern age we must be updated ourselves with new technologies. He said that e-Office is a step towards digitali-zation. Shri Agrawal said that adopting e-Office would not only make the working pattern more effective and speedy but also ensure

saving of huge quantity of paper which would go a long-way for environment conservation. He appreciated the efforts of Shri Deepu Shyam, General Manager/RailTel and Shri Anand Rishi Srivastava, Deputy General Manager/General, North Eastern Railway for implementation of ‘e-Office’.

Shri Deepu Shyam, General Manager, Rail Tel has geven a brief presentation on the utility of e-Office. He said that North Eastern Railway has now joined the group of those Zonal Railways who are already working on e-Office. He said that digital signature of user and availability of internet connectivity are a must for use of e-Office. Shri Deepu Shyam

discussed at length that how the ‘e-Office’ is implementation.

Shri Anand Rishi Srivastava, Deputy General Manager/General, in his address said that e-Office’ is formally being inaugurated on this Zonal Railway. In days to come it would be fully implemented in all the offices. He threw light on the various facets of ‘e-Office.’ Shri Srivatava also proposed the vote of thanks. ¥

North Eastern Railway

View of inauguration of e-Office

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


18 July, 2019 organised under the aegis of NERSA at Syed Modi Railway Stadium, Gorakhpur from 18 to 20 July, 2019. Shri Agrawal flew balloons, symbol of enthu-siasm, and declared the tournament formally open.

North Eastern Railway annexed the trophy of “13th All India Railway

Women Handball Tournament.” The team of North Eastern Railway consisting of various international players, defeated South Central Railway in a one sided match by 24-8. Pavittar, Sushma, Srishti and Anumita of North Eastern Railway scored 10, 6, 6 and 3 goals respe-ctively for their team. Goalkeeper

Ninasheel played the pivotal role in the win by her superb performance. Teams of South Central Railway, South East Central Railway, Northern Railway and host North Eastern Railway participated in the tourna ment, played on Round Robin league basis.

Shri Anand Prakash, Additional General Manager, North Eastern Railway gave away trophies and prizes to teams and players at the prize distribution function on July 20, 2019. The function was conducted by Shri Sanjay Yadav, Joint General Secretary and Handball Seretary, NERSA. ¥

Northeast Frontier Railway

NFR Constructs 377 Toilets for ‘Divyang’ Passengers All Over the Zone

In an effort to ease the incon-venience faced by the Divyang

(differently abled) in accessing toilet facilities in stations premises, NFR has constructed 377 numbers of Divyang friendly toilets in all its stations. Under the instruction of Railway Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, Indian Railway has decided to provide Divyang friendly toilets in all its stations.

Chairman, Railway Board vide his letter dated 20 June, 2018 advised all Zonal Railways to provide Divyang friendly toilets at all stations except Halt stations. This is in addition to other facilities which are being provided to Divyang like entry ramp, parking space, standard signage, online booking of wheel chairs etc.

The main features of these toilets are: the entry / exit ramp with proper slope of minimum 1 in 12 are provided, non-slippery ramp; pathway and floor are provided in these types of toilets; hand basin at

low height of 780 mm with vertical grab bar is provided for proper grip near wash basin for easy use by Divyang; low height seat with maximum pan height of 460 mm and side grab bar is provided. The maximum width of the entry/exit door is kept at 920 mm for proper accessing of wheel chair so that person using crutches and wheel chair can easily enter inside and use the toilets. Signage with bigger letter size is provided.

Differently able persons face problems to use toilets constructed for common people. Hence con-structing such Divyang friendly

toilets has been of great help for all of them.

All commercial frontline staffs are also given special training on passenger amenities wherein training on special facilities provided for Physically Challenged persons and provision of wheel chair are given. At the Divisional level, Chief Travelling Ticket Inspectors/In-charges (CTTI / ICs), Station Managers (SMRs) and concerned Commercial Inspectors are directed to perform duty as a disability Inspector for providing assistance to Persons with Disabilities. ¥

Divyang friendly toilets constructed at different stations in NFR zone

Initiative by Rangiya Division of NFR to Spread ‘No Bill - No Payment’

The Commercial department of Rangiya Division has taken a

major initiative to spread the Indian Railway’s drive for enforcing the issue of bill by catering vendors to consumers in trains and stations. A campaign named “If no bill is

issued, then your food is free” had been launched all over NFR by the commercial department and Rangiya Division of NFR has given special thrust to this campaign in its jurisdiction. Through this campaign, passengers are made

aware of their right for bill against any payment. All the major catering outlets in stations over the Division have been covered in this campaign.

A surprise check was also under-taken on train number 14055 Brah-ma putra Mail which was passing

Shri Rajiv Agrawal with the sportspersons

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


through the Division to ensure that bills had been issued to the passengers in lieu of amount paid. The checking team detected 7 cases of non issuance of bill by pantry car vendors amounting to ` 880. Manager of the pantry car was made to refund ` 880 to all those 7 passengers on the spot. More such checks will be carried out in the next week on other trains. The campaign also has a visibility com-ponent. T-shirts with motto "No bill, No payment, No Tips " for creating passenger awareness for their right to a bill while making any payments at Refreshment Rooms,

Food Plazas and various stalls at Railway Stations have been dis-tributed to catering stalk vendors at Rangiya. Along with the message, the web address of "Rail Madad" is also given, so that, passengers can log on to “Rail Madad” for complaint

related to overcharging or non is-sue of receipt. It is to be mentioned that, NFR is fixing metal plates in all its coaches asking passengers to insist on bills. Severe penalty is also being levied on vendors who are not issuing bills to the passengers. ¥

T-shirts with motto "No bill, No payment, No Tips” for creating passenger awareness (left), catering vendor issuing Bill to consumers

Rangiya Division of N. F. Railway has chosen to go paperless, as

far as goods business is concerned, w.e.f. 1st August 2019, by rolling out eT-RR (Electronic Transmission of Railway Receipt) by replacing RR.

RR (Railway Receipt) is a vital document, in the entire chain of freight business of Railways. It is like an acknowledgement of receipt of goods for transportation by rail. The owner of original Railway Re-ceipt is supposed to be the owner of the goods.

In the earlier system, the printed RR once generated used to be given to rail customer who loaded the consignment (consignor) after co-m pleting loading in goods train and after paying all railway freight charges. The Consignor in turn, had to further transfer it to the consignee, who would take delivery of goods at destination, through post or courier. At the destination station, delivery of consignment was given on surrender of original RR by customer.

In the earlier system, the custo-mer used to face the problem of delay in taking delivery, whenever the goods train reaches destination earlier than the original RR. The new system of transmission of RR electronically, eliminates this problem entirely.

The new system introduced is a very simple; hassle free and user

friendly system which would immensely benefit freight custo-mers. In this system, the Railway Receipt (RR), a mandatory docu-ment, for effecting delivery of goods, is generated, transmitted and surrendered or deposited electronically.

The first eT-RR of Rangia Division has been generated on 1st August, 2019 from Indian Oil Siding at New Bongaigaon for goods loaded to destination NTPC plant at Unchahar in Uttar Pradesh. System of generating eT-RR has been enabled in all the 18 functioning locations of freight business on the Division. The entire process is carried through FOIS portal (https://www.fois.indianrail.gov.in). In order to avail this facility, customers (both consignors and consignees) have to pre-register themselves at the nearest Railway Division, where they carry out their business. On doing so, each customer organization would get a Global Customer Code. The customers can register themselves at FOIS portal after getting the Global Customer Code and can avail the facility of eT-RR. All the consignors of Rangiya Division have already registered themselves in FOIS portal to avail the facility of eT-RR. At least 09 consignees have registered themselves for eT-RR and many more have approached

the Division whose registration is under process and are at various stage.

The eT-RR system is also very secure, because at every step from generation to transmission to su-rre nder of RR, electronic authenti-cation is required through user IDs, passwords and through unique system generated Freight Number Record (FNR) and One Time Passwords (OTPs). The system generated FNR number and OTPs is sent only to registered e-mail IDs and mobile numbers of customers.

It may be mentioned here that, railway has already introduced the system of placement of demand for wagons electronically (e-RD module) through FOIS portal. Along with the e-RD module, eT-RR makes freight business for our customers more accessible and transparent. Moreover, the electronic transfer of RR is not only faster but also safer. Since there is no physical transfer of RR, it eliminates the problem of loss of RR in transit.

Electronic Transmission of Railway Receipt (eT-RR) and (e-RD module) is definitely going to be a game changer as far as freight business of Railways is concerned as it provides a safer, faster, trans-

parent and more convenient paper-less system for all segments of freight customers apart from boo-sting the Digital India Initi atives. ¥

Rangiya Division of NFR Rolls Out Electronic Transmission of Railway Receipt (eT-RR)

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


NFR Initiates Vigorous Drive Against Littering

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has collected an amount

of ` 3,65,895 as penalty from offenders who were found to be littering the railway premises since October 2018. Railway premises receive heavy footfall during arrival/departure of trains and are very much prone to littering. Maintaining cleanliness of trains and railway premises is a conti-nuous process. While railway conti-nue to do its part, the role of pa-ssenger is very vital in this regard.

It is to be mentioned that NFR installed CCTVs for monitoring of cleanliness in as many as 13 stations throughout the zone. These are monitored by the Station Master, Commercial and RPF Officers and the Divisional Railway Manager. Feed from these CCTVs can also be directly viewed by Senior Officers in NFR Head-quarters. Guwahati, Katihar, Rangiya, Dibrugarh, New Jalpaiguri and Tinsukia are some of the major stations where monitoring of clean-liness is being done through CCTV.

It is also to be mentioned that there has been 60% increase in dustbin, provided in station pre-mises all over the zone. Colour segregation of dustbins has also been done so as to enable sepa-ration of dry and wet waste to faci-litate better waste disposal. Dust-bins are also being provided in all coaches of the zone in a phased manner. So far NFR has provided dustbins in the toilets of all coaches while sleeper class coaches are also being provided with dustbins near the entrances. Frequent annou-ncement are also being made in station premises requesting the passengers to maintain cleanliness within stations and informing them about the penalty provisions of the Railway Act.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has detected 563228 cases of travelling without ticket/irre-gular ticket and un-booked luggage cases during the period from January to July, 2019. During the check, 5,44,218 cases of without ticket/irregular ticket travellers

were detected and an amount of ` 38.50 crs were realised from them. An amount of ` 0.23 crs were also realised from 19,010 passe-ngers detected to be travelling with excess or un-booked luggage. This is about 13.17% more in terms of numbers of penalty cases detected and 16.55% higher in terms of earnings for the corresponding period of last year. During this period, 14 magisterial checks were also conducted and 136 persons were apprehended and fine amo-unting to ̀ 89,410 was also realised. To curb the menace of ticket less travel surprise checks are undertaken regularly. N.F. Railway officials have been con ducting regular surprise ticket che cking drive in Mail, Express and passenger Trains. To discourage ti cket less travelling, Northeast Fro ntier Railway has put systems in place whereby surprise ticket che cking drive is conducted by Flying Ticket Checking Squads of Divisions as well as HQ. Fortress checks are also conducted in stations. ¥

Handbook on "Commissioner of Railway Safety Inquiry Guidelines" Released

Shri Sanjive Roy released a safety handbook based on “Guidelines for Commissioner of Railway Safety

Inquiry-2019”

The NF Railway's Safety Department has und-

er taken various tasks to improve safe train ope-rations time to time. The department has been con-du cting Safety Se minars, Mock drills, Life demonstration of safe train ope ra tions,, Training of Safety counsellors, Loco Pilots, Guards, Carriage and wagon staff, Track Maintainers and organising timely inspection of different sections of greater NF Railway. A video conference on safe train operations was also organised on August 16, 2019 at NFR Head-quarters, Maligaon where General Manager Shri Sanjive Roy, Additional General Manager Shri Radhe Raman, Principal Chief Safety Officer Shri M.K. Agarwal

along with the Heads of all departments were present and all the Divisional Railway Managers of Katihar, Alipurduar, Rangiya, Lumding and Tinsukia divisions were connected by video link. General Manager Shri Roy discussed with the NFR Heads and DRMs about the safe, smooth and timely train operations. He gave different valuable suggestions to all

and aware so that no lapse should be there in safety.

A safety handbook based on “Guidelines for Commissioner of Railway Safety Inquiry-2019” was also released by General Manager.

These Guidelines pro-vide a check list of Commissioner of Railway

Safety Inquiry. This Information would prove extremely useful in the event of a serious accident for arranging Com missioner of Railway Safety Inquiry. This handbook was formulated and prepared under the guidance of Shri Pradip Kumar Hira, Deputy Chief Safety Officer/ Mechanical/Northeast Frontier Railway.

The reason behind releasing this

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


RPF, NFR Rescues 463 Minors from Railway Stations During Current Year

Railway Protection Force (RPF) of N.F. Railway successfully

rescued as many as 514 persons from railway premises during the current year up to July, 2019. Of them, 463 are minor boys and girls who were rescued from railway premises like stations/trains before the children could be lured by anti-social elements. 9 human traffickers were also arrested red handed who were transporting minors in trains. There were 171 minor girls and

292 minor boys among the rescued children.

It may be mentioned here that RPF has been successfully rescuing children who run away from home as well as the children from the clutches of traffickers regularly along with arrest of traffickers. During the year 2018, as many as 669 minor boys and girls were successfully rescued from railway premises. Rescued children were normally handed over to their

parents or various such as Child Line. Various squads of RPF are regularly conducting checks at railway premises to prevent such cases.

It is known that gang of traffickers are very much active in this region who abduct children and women and transport them to other parts of the country. The arrested traffickers are handed over to GRP for taking necessary action under law. ¥

book is to make readers knowledge about all the instructions, rules and regulations, in quiry pro ce dures, check list of Commi ssioner of Railway Safety Inquiry and many more valuable and important knowledge and ideas of Safety Inquiry, which can be helpful at the time of Commissioner of Railway Safety Inquiry. This book has a role

of almost every department like Ope rating, Commercial, Electrical, Civil Engi neering, Medical, Signal and Tele communication, Public Relation Department and Personal Depart ment etc. General Manager, Shri Sanjive Roy gave different sugge stions on Commissioner of Railway Safety Inquiry to officers and other staffs from different

departments during release of the book. He appreciated the Safety Department for taking step in producing the safety book. Principal Chief Safety Officer, Shri M.K. Agarwal advised all the safety officers and staff to follow the guide lines of the hand book so that timely action may be taken without fail. ¥

N.F. Railway Takes Initiatives for Improvement in Passenger Amenities Inside Train Coaches

Northeast Frontier Railway is taking various initiatives

aiming towards improvements in various parameters of passenger amenities inside train coaches. The initiatives are targeted at providing the passenger a better ambience apart from providing a feel good feeling while making train journey. As part of the initiatives, interiors of coaches are being fitted with aesthetically designed fitting, paneling, and improved toilets. All these improvements are being done as per guidelines provided by the Railway Board.

As part of the initiatives, Northeast Frontier Railway has already provided dustbins in the lavatories of all AC & Non AC coaches maintained by the zone. Dustbins will also be provided near doorways in a phased manner. Stainless steel mugs with anti-theft chain have been provided in the lavatories of all AC & Non AC coaches. It may be mentioned here that, passenger often faces problem while using lavatories due to theft

of mugs. 100% of all AC coaches and Western style toilets of all Non AC coaches have also been provided with “Health Faucets” for reducing the stinking smell in lavatories.

Coach Mitra under OBHS (On Board House Keeping Service) has been provided in all the 62 pairs of mail/express trains run by this railway. This service is functional in about 975 pairs of trains of Indian Railways.

OBHS service is provided to facilitate un-scheduled cleaning of coaches by just sending a SMS during the run of train itself apart from scheduled cleaning of the coaches twice a day. Any passenger can send sms CLEAN<space><PNR

no> to 58888 for availing the service of Coach Mitra while undertaking train journey.

With an aim to provide clean/washed laundry items to passengers during train journey, NFR has 3 departmental mechanized laun-dries in operation in different locations. They are at Dibrugarh, Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri. Mechanized washing ensure better and improved quality of cleaned linens to passengers during journey. As a result, linen related complaint from passenger reduced significantly.

It may be mentioned here that, for the assistance of the visually impaired passengers, signage superimposed with Braille scripts are being provided in all coaches. While new model coaches being received come with Braille signage fitted in it.

All these passenger friendly initiatives will definitely be able to provide a better feeling to travelling passenger while making train journey more comfortable. ¥

Dustbins provided inside coach and near doorway

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Railway Pension Adalat Conducted

As part of the Nation Wide Pension Adalat in Indian

Railways, Southern Railway con-ducted the Pension Adalat on 23 August, 2019 for the benefit of Pensioners/Benefici aries, at its Headquarters Office at Chennai and at all the six divisions, of So-uthern Railway, namely, Chennai, Salem, Tiruchchirappalli, Madurai, Palghat and Trivandrum as well as Carriage and Wagon Workshop, Perambur, Loco Workshop, Perambur, Electrical

Engineering Workshop, Arakkonam, and Office of the Principal Chief Materials Manager, and Stores Depots.

At all these locations over Southern Railway, a total of 392 Pension grievance cases were received, and 212 cases have been disposed, with a payment of ` 6,67,985 to the pensioners/

beneficiaries.The remaining 180 grievances

will be examined and disposed shortly. ¥

Workshop, Perambur, Golden Rock Workshop, Ponmalai, Tiruchchi-rappalli, Signal and Telecomm-unication Workshop, Podanur,

View of Pension Adalat

Southern Railway

Southern Railway Holds Meeting with Members of Parliament at Chennai

Southern Railway had convened a meeting with Members of

Parliament belonging to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha pertaining to Chennai and Salem divisions on 9 September, 2019. 27 Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) took part in the meeting. From the Railway side General Manager, Southern Railway, Principal Heads of Departments and Divisional Railway Managers of Chennai and Salem Divisions attended the meeting.

General Manager, Southern Railway, welcomed the dignitaries

and appraised various aspects of Southern Railway Working, highlights of achievements and development of various passenger amenities.

During the course of meeting Members of Parliament discussed about the improvements in passenger amenities, projects and train services in their constituencies over Southern Railway.

Shri D.M. Kathir Anand, MP from Vellore, and Shri P.R .Natarajan, MP, Coimbatore, elected as Chairman of the Divisional Committee for Chennai and Salem Divisions respectively, during the meeting. ¥

View of meeting with Members of Parliament

South Central Railway

Improve Safety Standards at Station Yards and Loading Points


advised the officials to focus on enhancing safety standards at station yards and at private sidings to improve operational convenience. He conducted a detailed review meeting on Safety, Punctuality, Freight loading and Digital Initiatives on 9th September, 2019 at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad along with Principal Heads of Departments. The Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) of all six Divisions i.e. Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntakal, Guntur and Nanded attended the meeting through video conference.

Shri Mallya conducted a detailed review of all the safety measures to be taken to ensure safety at yards and private siding premises so as to reduce the unusual situations. He conducted a detailed review of increase in minor incidents hap-pening at station yards and private sidings, which are affecting the operational convenience. He advised the officials to keep conti-

nuous focus on the improve ment of infrastructure facilities related to safe running of trains by taking up the track renewal works on fast phase basis. He also stressed on impro vement of Train Punctuality and Freight loading. He revi ewed the division wise pro gress of the works related to implementation of e-Office, UMID registrations, construction of Foot Over Bridges, High level Platforms, Provision of Divyangjan facilities at major railway stations and instructed to expedite the works. Shri John Thomas, Additional General Manger; and other PHoDs were amongst the officials present. ¥

Shri Gajanan Mallya holding meeting on enhancing Safety standards

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


‘Man of The Month’ Safety Awards Presented


presented ‘Man of the Month’ safety awards to 12 employees on 3 September, 2019 at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad for showing alertness in duty and taking timely action to prevent unsafe conditions. He appreciated the employees for their dedication and focus towards performing their duties.

The Following staff has been awarded Man of the Month Awards:1. V. Anil Kumar – Khalasi Helper

– Secunderabad Division2. R. Venkatesh – Trackman –

Secunderabad Division3. Chand Nagraj – Trackman –

Secunderabad Division

4. Upender – Trackman – Secunderabad Division

5. M. Vishnu Murthy–Loco Pilot– Hyderabad Division

6. Kamalesh Kumar Meena– Pointsman–Vijayawada Division

7. K. Krishna–Sr. Goods Guard–Vijayawada Division

8. S. Satish – Technician/Carriage

& Wagon – Vijayawada Division9. Sathyendra Kumar – Asst.

Locopilot – Guntakal Division10. K.N.M. Rao–Locopilot– Guntakal

Division11. Sd. Janbaba–Station Master–

Guntur Division12. Harikesh – Night Patrol Man –

Nanded Division. ¥

General Manager with awardees

Zonal Hindi Elocution Competition Held

Zonal Hindi Elocution held on 22 August, 2019 to propagate and

promote Official Language Hindi in day to day official work and to encourage Officers and Employees. The subjects given for this competition were - 'The need for privatization of Indian Railways' and 'Impact of global weather changes on India' Each participant has to present his views on one of these topics. Participants selected from Divisions, Workshops and Headquarters level Preliminary Competitions participated in this competition. Shri Arun Kumar Jain, Mukya Rajbhasha Adhikari/South

create a sense of public awareness. Therefore, the views presented by the participants will be genuine and sensitize the audience towards these problems also. Shri Kamal Kant, Deputy Chief Environment and House Keeping Manager and Dr. Shyama Sundar Sahu, Deputy General Manager (Official Language) acted as judges for the competition. Shri M.K Nagaraju, Rajbhasha Adhikari/ Headquarters compeered the programme. Competition was conducted successfully with the assistance and co-operation of Headquarters Rajbhasha Department staff. ¥

Central Railway and Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer, Construction, Secunderabad, said that the subjects given for the competition are very thought provoking and contemporary. They are not just topics but burning issues which

View of the competition

General Manager Inspects Central Railway Hospital


inspected Central Railway Hospital, Lallaguda, Secunderabad on 23 August, 2019. He was accompanied by Shri N. Sitaram Prasad, Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad Division, Dr. T.J. Prakash, Chief Medical Director during his inspection visit. Shri Gajanan Mallya inaugurated Chemotherapy and renovated Officers Special ward during his visit. He also monitored working of

wards, Medical records, Stores Pro-cure ment etc. The General Manager en q uired with Chief Medical Director about the counters provi-ded for registration of Unique Medical Identity Card Registration (UMID) by serving and retired employees for self and family members. He interacted with pensi-oners, employees and family me-mbers regarding facilities provided at hospital. He inspected pharmacy, stores, wards and discussed with officials on further development. ¥

Shri Gajanan Mallya inaugurating Chemotheraphy Ward at Central

Railway Hopital, Lallaguda

Hospital Management System set up to facilitate employees and

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Western Railway

The Diesel Shed at Vatva in Ahmedabad Division of Western

Railway has begun a new chapter with commencement of main-tenance work of electric loco engines and has created a record in its maiden attempt itself by suc-cessfully completing the main-tenance work of the first electric loco (WAG 5) and dedicating the same on 22 August, 2019, well before the stipulated target date of 1 September, 2019. Shri Deepak Kumar Jha, Divisional Railway Manager of Ahmedabad Division flagged off this first loco engine amidst much fanfare and dedicated the loco in the service of the Railways in the presence of officers and employees of the shed. On this occasion, Shri Jha also unveiled the newly developed Logo of the Diesel Shed, Vatva. The new Logo repre-sents the nationality of India as

Shri Deepak Kumar Jha is seen flagging off the first electric locomotive and also unveiled the

newly developed Logo of the Diesel Shed, Vatva

Western Railway's Diesel Shed at Vatva Heralds a New Era with the Commencement of Maintenance Work of Electric Loco Engines

well as the progressive development of the Indian Railways. Diesel Shed Vatva has carved a name for itself and with this feat; it has entered into the eminent list of Diesel Sheds nominated to maintain Electric Locos in Diesel Shed over Indian Railways. The maintenance work of electric loco engine was started in the Diesel Shed, Vatva as per the instructions of the Ministry of Railways, in continuation of the various initiatives undertaken over Indian Railways to promote cleaner and greener energy. Diesel Shed Vatva accepted this challenge and the preparations for the work started in full swing and were

completed on a war-footing. The use of Electric Locos will help to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels like Diesel and will be a catalyst to achieve the changing needs of the country, its commit-ment to environmental protection and will also be a harbinger of technological upgradation. Shri Jha appreciated the efforts put up by the employees to start the main-tenance work of the electric loco and also conveyed his best wishes for the bright future of the shed. ¥

Western Railway Completed 300 Stations with Free Wi-Fi Facility

Towards Hon’ble Prime Minister's Digital India Initiative,

Ministry of Railways had proposed to provide Wi-Fi facility to rail users at 4791 railway stations across Indian Railways network.Through various efforts & initiatives, Western Railway has always pioneered and encouraged its journey towards Digital India. In continuation to this, Western Railway has achieved yet another important milestone by

scoring triple century of free Wifi facility on the pitch of Digital India Mission by providing this facility at its 300 stations including Suburban and Non-Suburban stations across Western Railway. This facility of free WiFi was recently commi-ssioned at Amalsad station of Mumbai Division of Western Railway, which is 300th station of Western Railway and in near future this useful facility will be extended

to 125 more stations over Western Railway. The High speed Wi-Fi services at Railway stations are being pro vided by RailTel with high speed end to end network conne-ctivity on Optical Fibre Cable (OFC). In an innovative accom plishment, Western Railway has decided to take a huge step to provide free Wifi facility at all its Suburban and Non-Suburban stations for the benefit of passe ngers. With the

South Western Railway

Foundation Stone for Statue of Swami Vivekananda at 3rd Entry of KSR Bengaluru Railway Station

Shri A.K. Singh, General Manager, South Western Railway laid

foundation stone on 8 September, 2019 for installing the statue of Swami Vivekananda at the 3rd Entry of KSR Bengaluru Railway Station, in the presence of Swami Tattwarupanandaji, President, Ramakrishna math, Halasuru, Bengaluru, Shri K.V. Balasubra-

manyam, Engineer and consultant who will design the statue and other Railway Officers were also present on the occasion. A bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda will be installed at the 3rd Entry of KSR Bengaluru Railway Station. The cost of the statue and its installation will be borne by Ramakrishna Math, Halasuru, Bengaluru. ¥

Shri A.K. Singh laying foundation stone for installation of the Statue

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


The Vadodara–Surat section of Western Railway had been

receiving incessant rainfall, resu-lting in water logging at railway premises, submerged railway tracks, washouts, etc. which has led to cancellation, diversion, short– termination of various trains as a safety measure. The railway officials along with several group staff continuously monitored the situa tion to keep a check on untoward incidents. One such measure was continuous patrolling of the section by deputing trackmen who checks for such breaches, any untoward instances on track and in the vicinity. During

Western Railway Patrolman’s Alertness Helps to Avert a Major Casualty on the Rain Affected Surat – Vadodara Section

such patrolling, Shri Murari Kumar, one of the patrolmen, saw the embankment falling between Kim-Kosamba section in the rain affected Vadodara-Surat route,

which was immediately reported to his superiors. Shri Murari Kumar was patrolling from Kosamba towards Kim on 4 August, 2019, when at around 18.05 hours, he heard a sudden sound of earth falling. On rushing to the spot, he saw that the embankment near the tracks at Km 294/0-2 was fallen. Shri Murari immediately informed his superiors – Permanent Way Inspector (PWI) & the Station Master. Due to this, traffic on the route was immediately stopped in order to avoid any mishap. Such devoted Railwaymen are the real strength of our organization and we are proud of such employees. ¥

Bravery & Courage of RPF Jawan Saves Nine Lives from Drowning in Floods Near Ahmedabad

Shri Deepak Kumar Jha felicitating RPF jawan Shri Shivcharan Singh Gurjar

Western Railway’s RPF is committed to serve even in

harsh environment, come what may. One such case is of Shri Shivcharan Singh Gurjar – Constable/RPF of Ahmedabad Division who displayed courage of the highest order, disregarding his personal safety in saving 9 lives from drowning in flood near Samakhiali station on 10th August, 2019. Recently due to torrential rains the state of Gujarat was flooded which led to cancellation of several trains for safety reasons.

Train No. 12959 Dadar-Bhuj Express was terminated at Samakhiali station on 10th August, 2019. RPF jawan Shri Shivcharan Singh Gurjar posted at Mahesana

RPF post was travelling in the train from Mahesana to Gandhidham but was terminated.

He was informed that 9 RVNL labourers were trapped in the flood waters. Shri Shivcharan took quick action to save the workers and swam in flooded waters to rescue them. With the help of NDRF volu-nteers he was able to save all nine labourers through boats. Shri Shivcharan’s valour has set an example of service and in recognition of his act, Director General/RPF awarded Shri Gurjar with DG’s Commendation and Insignia and an additional cash reward of ` 4000. Minister of Railways Shri Piyush Goyal also praised Shri Gurjar for his act of

valour and took to social media to accolade for his service. Shri Deepak Kumar Jha, Divisional Railway Manager of Ahmedabad Division, has also awarded him with cash prize. Western Railway lauds Shri Shivcharan Singh Gurjar for his dedication, bravery and courage. ¥

Shri Murari Kumar who detected the embankment falling between Kim-

Kosamba section in the rain affected Vadodara-Surat route

commi ssioning of Wi-Fi at Amalsad station in Gujarat, with association of M/s Railtel Corporation of India Ltd., M/s Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. and M/s Tata Trust, 300 stations have been provided with the free Wi-fi facility over WR. The work of extending it to 125 more stations is in full swing. Passengers can access high speed Internet facility free of cost at stations for a period of 30 minutes on their smart phones and laptops

and to use further they will have to login again. With this free internet facility, passengers can stay connected and gain information they require. Accessing Wi-Fi at stations

Wi-Fi will be available to any user who has a smartphone with wo rking mobile connection for KYC considerations. To use the Wi-Fi the user has to switch on the Wi-Fi mode in the smartphone and select the RailWire Wi-Fi network. After

the RailWire homepage network automatically appears on the sma-rt phone, the user has to enter his or her mobile number on this ho-me page. The user will get one-time password (OTP) in form of SMS text message which has to be entered in the home page of Rail Wire. After entering OTP, users will be able to access high speed inter net & can start internet browsing for a period of 30 minutes. To use further they will have to log in again. ¥

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Western Railway Introduced the Innovative Concept of ‘Modern Technology in Cleaning’

Two views of Western Railway’s first specialised training programme “Skill Training of Manpower with Modern Technology for Cleaning Staff of Ahmedabad Division” where staff

are being trained to use modern technology in cleaning.

Western Railway has always pioneered in

coming up with new and innovative ideas especially when it comes to keeping the environment greener and cleaner. In another such initiative, the Environment & Health Management Wing of Ahmedabad Division of Western Railway has initiated a specialised trai-ning programme of “Skill Training of Manpower with Modern Tech-nology for Cleaning Staff of Ahmedabad Division”, in collabo-ration with Gujarat Tourism Board under Prime Minister’s Kaushalya Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) Skill India development. This special training module consists of theoretical, practical and soft skill development of trainees in 12 hours of training period. For this programme, special trainers have been deputed from Mumbai through Gujarat Tourism Board. This unique initiative of the training programme aims at deve-loping a pool of trained cleaning

‘Shopping-On-Wheels’ Introduced in Two More Trains Taking the Total to Six Trains on Western Railway

Western Railway is always on the

forefront to make the travelling experience of passengers more entertaining and memorable. One such innovative idea which was conceptualized was the intro duction of ‘On Board Shopping Cart’ which was first introduced in Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express on 1 March, 2019 and thereafter, in Bandra Terminus-Jammu Tawi Vivek Express on 2 March, 2019. Many passengers welcomed this move and shared that till now such services were available in flights and now they can have a similar luxurious expe-rience in trains too. With such positive reviews to this service

from the passengers, Western Railway has now extended this On Board Shopping facility to two more trains of Ahmedabad Division. Total 18 Mail/Express trains of Western Railway has been no-minated, out of which two trains are of Ahmedabad Divi sion and the remaining 16 trains are of Mumbai

Division. As on date, the facility has been introduced in six trains of Western Railway. In addition to the two trains men tioned above, this facility has now been introduced in Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Paschim Express, Bandra Terminus-Gora khpur Antyodaya Express, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Karnavati Express & Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Double Decker

Express. This facility will give passengers the opportunity to buy FMCG household products such as Oral care, Skin care, Hair care, Cosmetics, Kitchen appliances, Health-related items, Paper products, Confectionery, Stationery products and other products which will be sold on MRP. ¥

Sales persons with the shopping cart in the Ahmedabad–Mumbai Central Karnavati Express & Ahmedabad–

Mumbai Central Double Decker Express

staff of contractors who are aware of the use of modern technology in cleaning, to develop courteous behaviour with passengers and to bring pride in their job abilities. Each individual trainee will be provided with a certificate from the Government of India, a stipend of ` 500 and a safety kit. Currently, the Gujarat Tourism Board has given the work of training 500 contractual staff persons of Ahmedabad area to M/s Karcher. It is further planned to train a total of 1500 contractual staff of Ahmedabad Division. The programme has been devised for training the Station Cleaning staff,

On Board Housekeeping staff, Mechanised Coach Cleaning staff, Clean Train Station staff, ACCA or Linen Supply staff in trains, etc. The first four batches of 50 staff persons each had their first training on 12th August, 2019. The initiative has been made possible under the support & encouragement of Shri Deepak Ku. Jha – Divisional Railway Manager of Ahmedabad Division of Western Railway and other senior officers. The entire initiative has been planned & executed by Shri Fedrick Pariath – Sr. Divisional Environment & Health Manager of Ahmedabad Division. ¥

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


Western Railway Commences First Exim Train Operations Alongwith Gateway Rail at Viramgam Inland Container Depot (ICD)

in Ahmedabad Division

Western Railway alongwith

Gateway Rail Freight Ltd. commenced the first EXIM train operations from the Viramgam Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Ahmedabad Division on 26 July, 2019. The first export train service from ICD Viramgam to Pipavav Port was flagged off by Shri Deepak Kumar Jha, Divisional Railway Manager of Ahmedabad Division, Western Railway. The flagging off ceremony of the train was also attended by Shri Sushant Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Customs, Shri Pankaj Mudgal & Shri Bharat Hindol representing HMSI Custom offices, Gateway Rail team and other senior officers from Railways, Customs and Gateway Rail were also present on the occasion. With this new Inland Container Depot (ICD) of Gateway Rail, trade will have an opportunity to expand in the outskirts of Ahmedabad further, making it similar to NCR region in North India. The first train service carried the export consignment of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd for Maersk Shipping Line and was cleared by Tiger Logistics India Ltd. In addition, the First Export

Reefer Container of Deepkiran Foods Pvt Ltd on Evergreen Shipping line which was customs cleared by JBS group of companies was also flagged off for road move ment to Mundra Port on the same day. The ICD at Viramgam is very close to Ahmedabad and is strategically located between Mundra and Pipavav Ports. It will be benefitted by the proposed Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

Gateway Rail will be operating regular train services for export and import for containerised cargo between this ICD and the port terminals of Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Pipavav. The ICD is built on a land parcel of 40 acres and is currently equipped to handle 1,00,000 TEUs per annum.The ICD is fully equipped to handle Dry and Reefer cargo carried in maritime containers. It is strate gically located at the new industrial development

of Ahme dabad, covering Sanand, Becharaji, Vithlapur, and upcoming Mandal Becharaji Special Invest ment Region (MBSIR). It has close proximity to NH-8 with excellent road and rail link to the road and rail infrastructure of Western India.

The Infrastructure and Facilities at Inland Container Depot (ICD)Viramgam:zz Two Railway lines sidingzz Fleet of 30 Train-Sets for Rail

Transportationzz Advanced Container Handling

Equipmentzz GPS enabled Trailerszz Paved area of 60,000 SQMzz Customs notified Area of 20,000

SQMzz Transit Warehousing of 2500 SQMzz EXIM Warehouse space of 2500

SQMzz Customs Clearance with EDI

Facilityzz Empty Storage Yardzz Equipment Maintenance &

Repair (EMR) Facilityzz Reefer Plug In Points and road

rail transportation Servicezz CCTV Surveillance zz Track and Tracezz 24x7 Operations ¥

WRWWO President Presents Gift Hampers to Patients in Jagjivan Ram Hospital on the Occasion of Independence Day

Smt. Archana Gupta presenting the gift hamper to patients

On the occasion of Independence Day, Smt. Archana Gupta,

President of Western Railway Women’s Social Service Organisation - HQ (WRWWO-HQ) together with the Members of the Executive Committee, visited the indoor patients of Jagjivan Ram Hospital of Western Railway and distributed gift hampers to around 300 indoor patients.

In addition to this, WRWWO

benevolent tradition, a fully equipped ambulance had been donated to Jagjivan Ram Hospital recently. ¥

gifted baby blankets to the new born, in the Obstetrics ward. Mrs Gupta along with other members went around the hospital and spent some time with the patients, interacting with them, enquiring about their health and cheering them up and wished them a quick recovery. WRWWO has always been in the forefront in rendering support to the staff and their families. Keeping up their

Shri Deepak Kumar Jha along with Shri Sushant Kumar and other senior officers from Railways, Customs and Gateway Rail at the flagging off ceremony

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


First Freight Train Run on the Newly Converted Mathela-Nimarkhedi Section of Ratlam Division

A new beginning was heralded by W. Rly on

12 August, 2019 by ru-nning the first goods train on the newly converted Mathela-Nimarkhedi se-ction which is part of the gauge conversion project of Ratlam-Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (MHOW)-Khandwa-Akola section located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The first freight train on the newly constructed broad gauge line on Mathela-Khandwa bypass-Nimarkhedi route was run from Mathela station to Nimarkhedi sta-tion, carrying coal for the NTPC plant at Khargone. Nimarkhedi-Mathela is 45.61 km section of Ratlam-Mhow-Khandwa-Akola Gauge Conversion project (472.64 km) which was earlier a metre gauge line. Being a very important line which connected western India with central India, it has been taken up for gauge conversion in phases.

The view of the first freight train being run from Mathela to Nimarkhedi stations on 12th August, 2019 over the newly converted Mathela - Nimarkhedisection in Ratlam Division

Out of 472.64 km, 298.60 km from Ratlam to Khandwa falls on Western Railway. Ratlam-Fatehabad & Fatehabad - Dr. Ambedkar Nagar sections of 147.7 km have already been commissioned & opened for traffic. The work on Dr. Ambedkar Nagar-Sanwad-Khandwa section of the project is being carried out, of which work on Nimarkhedi-Mathela has been completed. The work on adjacent section of Sanawad-Nimarkhedi is also in progress at a faster pace and is targeted to be completed by 2019-20. Work on the balance portion of Dr. Ambedkar Nagar and Sanawad is also being undertaken and land acquisition is

under progress. The gauge conversion work of balance portion of Khandwa-Akola is being carried out by South Central Railway. The total estimated cost of project is ` 1421.25 Cr and the

whole project is targeted to be completed by 2021-22. This section will now provide direct Broad Gauge connectivity to NTPC Plant, Khargone for supply of coal, thereby enhancing its capacity. The completion of this section will provide Broad Gauge connectivity to Omkareshwar temple. It will also connect Indore with Mumbai-Itarsi main line through Khandwa and will provide an alternate and shorter route for Rajasthan and eastern as well as southern India. Similarly, it will act as an alternate connectivity for Delhi from Maharashtra & Southern India through Indore-Ratlam. ¥

Western Railway’s Mumbai Central station has become a

pioneer in itself being accredited with the ISO 14001 : 2015 certi-fication for Environmental Management System (EMS) from INTERCERT, which is an Ac credited Management Systems Certification Body. This certification has been awarded for providing amenities and allied services at Mumbai

An illuminated view of Mumbai Central station on the occasion of Independence Day, which has been

recently accredited with ISO 14001:2015 certification

Mumbai Central Station Accredited with ISO 14001 : 2015 Certification

Central station premises for tic keting, booking, Maintenance of retiring rooms and waiting room, Station cleaning, Sa ni-tation, Water conservation, Energy conservation, etc. Thus, Mumbai Central station has been recognized as a model station by the Inter national Stan dards Orga nisation (ISO) which is the first station in the

entire Mumbai Division of Western Rly and soon more 38 stations of this Division will follow suit.

The implementation of EMS is expected to support and sustain Mumbai Central’s excellent track record and provide further motivation for setting and achieving environmental performance goals as part of the railway station’s continual impro vement plans.

Achieving a balance between the environment, society and the economy is considered essential to meet the needs of the present without compro mising thefuture. In a major policy decision, Ministry of Railways has compre hensively revised categories of various railway stations, to make it more practical. The railway stations are now re-categorized taking into account earnings, passenger footfall, strategic importance with a view to plan various passenger services and passenger amenities in a more effective and focused manner.

The earlier criteria for station categorization were based on the annual passenger earnings. Over W. Rly, total 73 stations have been nominated of which 44 stations fall under the Non suburban category (NSG) while 29 stations fall under Suburban category (SG). On

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


CLW

Unique Medical Identification Card (UMID) in CLW

Indian Railways has decided to issue Unique Medical

Identification card (UMID) to all its employees for providing medical services. The process for getting UMID Cards is already started in CLW and most of employees have already registered and got their UMID cards.

In order to streamline the whole

process under a fixed time bound basis, all the staff and retired employees are requested to generate their medical cards through UMID.

It is stated that the existing medical cards will become invalid w.e.f. 31 August, 2019 and only the medical card generated through UMID will be accepted for availing

medical facility. The last date of submission of application in UMID was fixed on 20 August, 2019 to avail medical facility from Railway Hospitals. It is further informed that camps are organized in K.G. Hospital and the retired employees may attend the camp for registration and submission of application under UMID. ¥

Mumbai Division of W. Rly, 10Non suburban (NSG) and 29 suburban stations are planned to be developed.

The ISO 14001:2015 certification of Mumbai Central station has been carried out satisfactorily due to the

following environmental works.zz Provision of Solid Waste Mana-

gement Plant (Waste to Energy) bio-gas plant has been successfully commissioned at Mumbai Central station.zz Provision of Day Light Harvesting

System (sky pipes) at Mumbai Central station concourse area) has been successfully implemented con se quent energy saving.zz Provision of LED lights over

entire premises of Mumbai Central Station and surrounding area. ¥

100th Electric Locomotive Flagged Off from Dankuni

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works

(CLW) scripted yet another history on 12 August, 2019, by rolling out the 100th Electric locomotive of the year 2019-20 from its Electric Loco Assembly & Ancillary Unit at Dankuni near Kolkata. Shri Praveen Kumar Mishra, General Manager dedicated this locomotive to the service of the Nation by ceremonially flagging off from the

Dankuni Unit on date. Senior officers of CLW, Chittaranjan and of

ELAAU /Dankuni were present on the occasion. Shri Praveen Kumar Mishra, in his brief address congratulated the team of officers, supervisors and staff whose sheer dedication and hard work resulted in manu facturing 100 locomotives & rolling out of this locomotive. Shri Mishra mentioned that it is a matter of great pride and wished that CLW will even

scale more heights in the days to come. ¥

Shri Praveen Kumar flagging off the 100th Electric Locomotive

Centralised Integrated Payment Solution (CIPS) System Started in CLW

The Centralised Integrated Payment Solution (CIPS) by

Accounts Deptt. of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is under implementation and made operational from 9 September, 2019. The CIPS has been developed as part of IPAS system, which facilitates digital signing of payment files and its automatic & safe transfer from IPAS server to SBI server. These payment files are

verified for its authenticity and then processed by SBI’s system. The reconciliation of transactions are made automatically by this CIPS system from SBI Server to IPAS server.

It is hoped that, this CIPS system adopted in CLW under the able guidance of Shri Praveen Kumar Mishra, General Manager, will eliminate the need of physical and manual intervention of cheques to

transfer the payments to the beneficiary data through electronic system. It is much faster and secure way of payment and settlement of transactions.

The dedicated team of accounts deptt. of CLW has worked hard for implementing this CIPS system in CLW. Thus, CLW has become the first Production Unit under Ministry of Railways to implement the CIPS system. ¥

ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS


PRODUCTION UNIT NEWS

Started with a modest beginning, when Late Shri Lal Bahadur

Shashtri dedicated to the Nation the first diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) on 03rd January, 1964, DLW has now taken its rightful place among the leading diesel locomotive manufacturers of the world. DLW was the second largest manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives in the world. With a capability to design across the multiple gauges used by various international railway systems, DLW has a footprint across Asia and Africa. Locomotives manufactured by DLW are running in Bangladesh, Shri Lanka, Myanmar, Tanzania, Sudan, Senegal, Mali, Malaysia, Vietnam, Angola and Mozambique. Within our own country, besides being the Motive Power provider for Indian Railways, DLW is also supplying locomotives to various steel plants, power plants and port trusts.

DLW has started manufacturing WAP7 class Electric Locomotives, 30509 Named “Varun” was dispatched for coaching services on 14/02/17. Since the year 2016-17, DLW has embarked on a journey to

manufacture Electric Locomotives and has not looked back ever since. In a bid to reduce the carbon footprint and provide green traction, no more Diesel Locomtives would be manufactured in DLW for Indian Railways. During the year 2018-19, 145 Electric locomotives were successfully manufactured and dedicated to the nation. For the first time in world history, four Diesel Locomotives have been converted into Electric Locomotivs with increased traction power and dedicated to the nation. The first such twin loco was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 19.02.2019.

DLW being located in the heritage town of Varanasi is the leading industrial unit in this area and has always been conscious of its larger role with regard to its community stake holders especially towards the holy River Ganga. Always being a leader in environmental protection, DLW took the lead way back in late 1980s and installed two treatment plants viz. Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for treatment of discharged human waste and Industrial Effluent Treatment Plant (IETP) for

treating contaminated & mixed Petroleum oil and Lubricants (POL).

These plants, besides ensuring that river Ganga remains clean, also contribute significantly to the recycling of resources. At STP 3.6 million liters of water is being recycled every day. The treated water is released for agricultural and gardening purposes. DLW takes pride in the fact that sewage, whether treated or untreated, is discharged into the River Ganga. The digested bio-manure as sludge is dried and used as fertilizer for horticultural purposes. The parameters of STP and IETP are monitored online to ensure that these remain within the laid down standards of Central Pollution Control Board.

In order to further focus its efforts to maintain various parameters of water, air, hazardous waste, exhaust emission etc. within limits at par with laid down standards, DLW went in for ISO:14001 certification for Environment Management System in 2001. With this certification DLW has the benefit of a well defined and documented policy for

Cleaner DLW : Greener DLWRashmi GoelGeneral Manager

Sewage Treatment Plant Industrial Effluent Treatment Plant

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE WORKS



preservation of its environment both at workshop and colony.

DLW is committed to its endeavor towards sustainable envi-ronment. DLW has taken a big leap by establishing reclaimed water treatment plant. DLW is in process of establishing 2 plants of 0.25 million liters per day capacity for reclaiming water for reuse application. The reclaimed water is claimed to be as good as potable water. Reusing reclaimed water as part of sustainable water mana-gement allows it remains as an alternative water resource for human activities.

The undergoing energy audit, apart from verifying and analyzing

energy consumption, will also rec ommend ways and means to improve energy efficiency with a view to reduce energy consumption at DLW.

Stepping towards energy con servation and to tap the benefits of non-conventional energy resou rces, DLW has taken a giant leap towards installation of grid con nected solar power panel. At present DLW has installed 1.86MWp of grid connected solar power capacity at various locations.

During 2017-18, 1.86 MWp has been installed and inst-

allation of additional 2 MWp capacity during current fiscal is in progress. Till 2017-18, DLW has fitted 12060 energy efficient LED fittings in Quarters & Service buildings.

DLW boasts of being the first production unit where SCADA sy-stem in general services is being commissioned for monitoring of ene rgy consumption and op ti-mizing energy usa ge. It may be mentioned that DLW has obtained ISO : 50001 certificate for better energy conservation.

The employees at DLW are also encouraged to adopt energy effi-cient lights at their homes. DLW was the first institution on Indian Railways which took lead in distributing energy efficient LED lamps amongst DLW staff. More than 50,000 energy efficient 7 watt LED lamps have so far been distributed amongst more than

Solar equipments at DLW premises Recharge Well & soak pits

PM Shri Narendra Modi Flagging-off the First Electric Loco converted from Diesel Loco at DLW


4200 employees. Following DLW’s example, other units of Indian Railways have also started adopting the same. Another example of DLW’s initiative towards reduction in energy consumption is the use of Motorized Gate Valve with Pump Automation. These system im-provements have not only saved precious water that got wasted due to overflow but also reduced pumping requirement by 2 hours.

Through various measures, DLW is able to reduce the water consumptions over the years and presently, the average water consumption in DLW is about 12 million liters per day. Recognising water as precious resource, treated water from STP is used for irrigation of lawns, sports ground, green patches and filling of water bodies. DLW has also committed itself to water harvesting by making more than 425 soak pits and 47 deep recharge wells to recharge ground water.

Recharge Well & soak pits Hon’ble Prime Minister’s “Swachchh Bharat Mission” is also a powerful medium to keep the environment pollution free. Under the Swachchh Bharat Mission, vigorous cleanli-ness drives are being launched at workshop, colony, offices and hospitals at DLW. All the officers, employees and their family members including the members of Civil Defence, Bharat Scouts & Guides and St. John’s Ambulance Brigade are actively taking part in these drives to keep the premises neat and clean.

DLW has been at the forefront in the sale of scrap. In the year 2018-19, scrap sales reached a record of ` 10.91 Crores which is a big step towards ensuring cleanliness.

DLW is also using green technology in its locomotives. Use of Auxiliary Power Units and Hotel Load features has reduced the consumption of diesel thereby correspondingly reducing the

Shri Piyush Goel and CM/MP Shri Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan giving away “Best Production Unit” award to DLW for consecutive third time

emissions. Use of Electronic Fuel Injection system will further reduce the exhaust emissions of diesel locomotives there by reducing carbon footprint.

DLW township area boasts of having more than 150000 small & big trees. This translates into DLW having around 40% green area. Thousands of trees are planted yearly all over the campus. In the year 2018-19, more than 5200 trees were planted at DLW. This concerted effort of “Team DLW” for “Clean DLW, Green DLW”, has resulted in an environment which is not only green & clean all around but also the pollution levels of water, air, exhaust-emissions and hazardous wastes are well within the limits. The green campus of DLW speaks volumes about the concern and commitment of the habitants of this colony for the environment conservation at DLW. One can perceptibly feel a tem-perature drop of 3-4 degree Celsius, on entering DLW campus, as compared to outside area. It is the understanding and appreciation of its environment which conti nu-ously encourages DLW towards a greener and cleaner and sustainable future.

DLW has obtained another feather to its cap when the CII- Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-Godrej GBC) accorded it the status of Green Co Silver for protecting the environment. As is evident from above, DLW is committed to a clean, green and sustainable environment.



AN ANALYSIS

Convergence of MGNREGS with RailwaysPratham Agrawal

Sr. ADEN/OGL, Vijayawada Division, South Central Railway

Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come

and time of Convergence with MGNREGS has come

The modalities of this scheme have been under works at the board level for the past 5 years i.e. from 2013 to 2018. South Central Railway pioneered the imple-mentation of this concept in the year 2018 with Ongole Sub-division spearheading it. Through my persistent efforts, a new policy was formulated on 24 November, 2018 ide ntifying 9 type of works which could be undertaken in Railway jurisdiction. They are – zz Desilting of water ways of

bridges/RUBs/Pipe culverts/Box culverts.

zz Strengthening/widening of Railways embankment.

zz Trench cutting along Railway boundary.

zz Desilting of Open Wells.zz Recharge structures to

functioning bore wells/dried up bore wells.

zz Block plantation.zz Village parks in Railway colonies.zz Linear Plantation.zz Connecting roads to level

crossings up to BT level (90:10).Currently 4 types of works (S.

No. 1 to 4) are under progress. The amount sanctioned for the same stands at ` 37.86 crore as of today and till date ` 2.09 crore worth of work is under progress. A few photos of the same are attached.

An exclusive head of Railway Project has been created in the main webite - http://www.nrega.ap.gov.in/Nregs/ (Official website

of NREGA for the state of Andhra Pradesh which is being managed by TCS).

The sanctioned, in progress and completed list of works under convergence scheme can be monitored via the link given below. It is pertinent to note that moni-toring system under MGNREGS is online which makes overseeing transparent and easy. http://www.nrega.ap.gov.in/Nregs/FrontServlet? requestType= AssetregRH&actionVal=WorkCatergory&id=Railway%20Project$&type=&Atype=-1

The potential of this scheme is tremendous with ` 600 crore of sanctions awaited in this financial year itself. All the works listed above are of maintenance nature. Once offloaded, the freed up funds of railways can be diverted towards


capital asset creation. More so, the activities of planta-

tion and other works listed above are pursued by state government in a better manner than railways as it is their core activity. E.g. plantation policy under MGNREGS states a 3 year main tenance period with a mandatory clause of 80% survival rate. A watcher is deputed for regular watering and protecting it against cattle. The above stated policy guidelines are pursued with all seriousness. In consultation with the state and forest depart-ment, plant species have been chosen which after maturity can be cut and can fetch railways non-fare revenue. To that effect, local pulp and paper industry has been roped in for the same and signing of an MOU is under way.

Similarly, the work of trench cutting along railway boundary will help in mitigating cattle run over cases. The trench will also serve as rain water harvesting pits. Adjacent to the railway boundary, farm fields are there and the farmers have expressed happiness over the same. After securing their trust, I am in the process of securing clo-

sure approval for 7 level crossings. Railways managed to secure fin-

a ncing for some of the con struction projects partly via MGNREGS funds and partly via centrally sponsored scheme. E.g. The Construction of Cement Con crete Approach Road to Singa rayakonda station was undertaken with labour cost being financed under MGNREGS and material cost being financed under Rurban (a centrally sponsored scheme). Similarly, Construction of public wash toilet and approach road street lighting was also undertaken in 2 stations falling within my jurisdiction.

The applications of this scheme are tremendous and I feel that I could only scratch the surface of this scheme during the time I had. Railway is the 24th department to secure convergence. Last year budget under MGNREGS for the state of Andhra Pradesh stood close to ` 10,000 crores. My vision is to secure a lion’s share of this funding for railways and for that I have undertaken activities to strengthen worksite facilities like – zz Providing toilets at all Level

Crossing Gates (38 nos.) and

Stations (9 nos.) in my jurisdiction.

zz Providing water facility at all Level Crossing Gates (38 nos.) and Stations (9 nos.) in my jurisdiction.

zz Providing first aid safety kit boxes along with ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) at all Level Crossing Gates (38 nos.) and Stations (9 nos.) in my jurisdiction. The magnitude of this exercise

could be appreciated from the fact that all the above facilities were initially present at every 10 kilometers which I have managed to bring it down to every 1.5 kms. This translates to gr eater accessibility to such basic amenities. The district admini-stration along with all the workers have treme ndously appreciated my work and a healthy environment has been generated resulting in impr oved quality and pace of exe-cution of works in my jurisdiction. The photos above are geo-tagged displaying the daily progress of works in my section. The future depends on what we do in the present – Mahatma Gandhi. ¥


AN ANALYSIS

AGING GRACEFULLY

To avoid old age infirmities one has to develop a disease free

body, mental-hormony and spiritual-knowledge. One can not get all these by following any organised religion but to cultivate these qualities and live a happy life in old age and it is the only solution for all miseries in this world !!!

"OLD IS ODD"There is a message in Bhavagad

Purana-12th.Chapter:"No one will bother to look after their old parents any more, they will only live for themselves and will neglect their own children".

Is this not a glaring reflection on the condition of our present day society? Truly, our ancestors were men of great vision, who could see into the future, two thousand years ago. But is it "just and fair" to feel happy or unhappy on finding such a negative expectation being experienced now?

Most shamefully and unfor-tunately, it has become necessary to enact a law for the children to protect their parents who have brought them into this world. These children enjoy all the desirable ple-asures of this world because of their parents' sacrifice (whereas, the children term this as parents' duty for having given birth to them) but, they neglect and reject them and are not looking up to them for guidance and support as they feel they are out of line in these days. It is really wonderful to find what happened to their learning the morals from "Aathichoodi" and "Kondraivendan" teaching "Anna-iyum Pithavum Munnari Deivam" and "Thanthai Thai Peane" meaning "mother and father are to be worshiped as the foremost Gods and protected".

‘World Elders Day’ & ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’ are celebrated worldwide every year in so many ways, whether to create an awareness on this topic or to remind those who are not so far

Old Is OddN. Subramanian

Retd. OS, Southern Railway

aware of abusing the elders to follow suit. We have run of words. How does one express outrage, disgust, despair when so many instances of elders abused and shunted out and forced to leave their long lived homes, families, surroundings, temples, friends, neighbours, etc., etc... for various reasons. {It is also a kind of cruel punishment to the elderly grand-parents when their loving grand children are taken away from them and vice versa. On the other hand, there is no wonder when the grand children do not listen to their grand parents and also to their parents, for, they are witnessing that their parents do not fear and respect their parents. Then what or so what?} On such celebrations (?) day, this topic occupies more space in Print and Talk time on Television, with statistics of different kinds of abuse (paving way to learn more by many of those who are not aware of this culture so far). All that we (are able to) do is that we read, we rage and then turn the pages and move on and on to discuss the next topic. No doubt, the non-affected ones offer sympathy as human courtesy and those who are suffering from this feel self sympathy. It is not just the number of types or the location of “abuse” but the culture that allows the present younger generation to believe that they can abuse their elders unquestioned. This “elders’ abuse” culture is not unique in India alone but exists in the whole Universe. This is a wide spread problem that arises not from anomalies in our culture but from its mainstream of domestic violence, humiliation, untouchable attitude, character assassination, etc.,etc.. {We know Health is Wealth and If Health is lost, some thing is lost; If Wealth is lost, some thing is lost; and If Character is lost, everything is lost; and when this most valued "character" is assassinated, then is it not a state

worse than death?} However, the elders are as and when considered necessary or unnecessary, owned, disowned and re-owned by their children and relatives as well as in the public meetings and gatherings {For example: During Get together/Marraige Functions and Festivals, as Chief Guest/Special Guest/Guest of Honour, etc..and while celebrating Global Family Day on January First; International Family Day on May 15th; International day of older persons on October, 10th; and Pensioners' Day on 17th December, and so on. All these (tempoary) best guests are finally side lined and pushed back as waste guests,once the show is over}. And, inspite of knowing well all these odds, the schools, as a mockery and special dishonour, celebrate "Grand Parents Day" while none of its students means "family" (even at the photo level they affix in their moral science note books) includes their grand parents who are well alive in their homes (or at old age homes?). As priorities change, more children are not guilt-ridden or filled with a sense of moral obli-gation for not taking care of their aged parents, when the wife and offspring take top priority in their lives. Thank God, the elders are allowed (ought to) to open their mouth to take food. There is no sharing or caring for them. The essence of a poem in "Viveka Chi-ntha mani" is as follows: It is fit to eat very ordinary food even without salt but lovingly offered with a smiling face and cordial words; whereas, we dislike to eat a high class food supplied with a stony face and hateredness, even if we are too hungry. Adding fuel to fire, ageing brings physical weakness resulting in poor "resistance capacity" inviting all possible common diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and respiratory problems, memory loss, poor eyesight, arthritis, dental problems.



etc.. etc., that warrents continuous and periodical medical care (few needs round the clock personal phy sical assistance) as well as pro-vision of bearest minimum com-forts like cot, western toilets, walker, bed pan, spex, hearing aid, appro-priate food and seasonal clothes. Life during illness threatens with flash backs & future fears in 70/90 mm. screen to an alarming extent. Even when affected with simple cold, headache, sotmach ache, fever, etc., who will get a cup of hot water to drink or a bucket of hot water to bathe? Who will meet all these to the poverty stricken elders?

The most deplorable aspect on this issue is with respect to the elders cursed with poverty, dis-ability, chronic diseases and no family/none to take care and simply abandoned. When find them spo-radic, it appears to be casual and doesn't matter much. But colle-ctively ? If "Vrindavan" is for wi-dows, where shall the widowers go ? However, OLD AGE HOME with or without payment and Govern ment's Night Shelters are really a boon to all of them.. Neither a "court" nor an "act" can bring the hearts to-gether. Only the outlook of the pe-ople of present generation needs to change if they are to escape the fate of their elders now, by teaching them actions and words to be sym-pathetic and respectful to all elders who are different, less advantaged and uncared about suffering and deprivation. As an insult to injury, "old age homes" are mushrooming like nursery play schools to mint money either from the occupants directly or through donations made to get IT exemption.

As "SPEED" has become the operative word in any activity for everybody, taking care of elders is becoming one of the biggest worries (and it is still worse if they are with serious ailments needing constant care) for the working and poor couples. Both employed children and their school going children do not find time either to speak or to listen elders, about whose condition, Poet Thiruvalluvar in his 999th. couplet describes:

"To him who know not how to smile in kindly mirth,

Darkness in day time broods o'er all the vast and mighty earth"

Meaning: To those who cannot rejoice (living with no chance of conversation like a deaf and dumb) the wide world is buried in darkness, even in (broad) day light as if they are blind.

On the other hand, how many of us, we the aged, do understand the care we need and in how many ways they are met by our children? The gravity of each need, if well spelt, will make us to imagine how great our children are !!! Having the pro-perty of best birth qualities, there are still few children who consider it a duty and a privilege to show co-mpassion, genuine love and deep concern for their parents. Let us try to meet, appreciate and salute them.

We know that "every tomorrow shall be a better tomorrow" upto the age of sixty and "every tomo-rrow becomes a birth day" there-after. Till we worked and earned, we have been eating to live and from the day we have nothing to do or ac hieve, we continue to live to eat like a begger living with no purpose in life. The only alternative for those elders who are not blessed with minimum comforts in life and who are also cursed with mental/physical /financial disorders (and God forbid, the worst is bed-ridden in the last days) is to pray the almighty for the earliest departure (form this earth) to make a great escape from all the ordeals.

We have come to this world just like a short tour and so we will have to go back after performing the role given to us. As fate would have it, any time ‘death’ may knock our door and we have to leave. No need to think that (y)our spouse and children will be unable to withstand (y)our loss. The truth is no one is going to die for us. No doubt, they may be depressed for some time, but time heals everything. Rotation of earth is continuous and functioning of world is non-stop. So, there is no need to fear for ‘DEATH’. And it is a great leveler and certainly the permanent cure

of all “ISSUES” for the LIFE IN SILVER AGE. However, while waiting for the divine call, the one and only biggest question that never dies but remains unanswered to all restless elders keeping their fingers crossed is: "what to do to overcome the prevailing threa-tening and alarming tension and heat/hate wave?". Of course, Earlier s Better, but, Earlist is the Best.

CAUTION: Respect & Protect Elders, as the Same Condition Awa-iting You also as You Have to Grow Old. (As You Sow, So You Shall Reap")

Note: "Vanaprastha" is the stage of a man begins when his duty as a householder comes to an end: He has become a grandfather, his chil-dren are grown up, and have esta-blished lives of their own. At this age, he should renounce all physical, material and sexual pleasures, retire from his social and professional life, leave his home, and go to live in a forest hut, spending his time in prayers. He is allowed to take his wife along, but is supposed to maintain little contact with the family. This kind of life is indeed very harsh and cruel for aged persons. No wonder, this third ash-rama is now nearly obsolete; but all odds exist here itself to men and women at old age in different forms in these days. Old age in itself is too humiliating in so many ways. There are many people whose near and dear stopped caring and left them to their fate as they approach life's ultimate departure. These victims do not have a choice. The or deal of going through both life and death is tough for destitute. How ever, many of us, as fellow hu mans, fail to recognise the pains that they undergo in the process. For some of them, death comes soon; for many it takes weeks, months and why, even years at times !!! Foot Note: To avoid old age infirmities one has to develop a disease free body, mental-hormony and spiritual-knowledge. One can not get all these by following any organised religion but to cultivate these qualities and live a happy life in old age and it is the only solution for all miseries in this world !!! ¥

AGING GRACEFULLY

TOURISM


Hill Station TrainDarjeeling Himalayan Railway - DHR

Anil K. SaxenaFreeelancer, Gaya

Riding the Toy Train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) has

always remained a coveted expe -rience to the tourists. Only few wo-uld let go such an opportunity. And there is a clear reason why so. After all this Toy Train has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage status, and that's for a special reason. Ope-rating on narrow gauge tracks since 1880s and providing an important tran sport link to various parts of Darjeeling hills and lower plains, the toy train is an icon of our heritage since the colonial days and an engineering marvel that was ac-hieved in that era. It also offers a wo-nderful way of absorbing the Hima-layan beauty as you tra verse along the slopes of the hills.

Where else can you find a small steam engine pulling mini coaches up the steep mountains through breath taking landscapes and over-coming almost impossible curves and gra dients using sheer engi-neering inge nuity and creative skills. The snail pace at which the train moves through the hilly terrain is at times so slow that you can often see the local school children hopping on

and off the train on the move. Although the diesel en gines used these days are faster and more powerful, the original steam engi nes still operate in some sections and also for joyrides.

The steam loco drawn trains sometimes tend to skid in steep gradients. You can often see an attendant standing in front of the engine and sprinkling sand on the track to overcome such difficulties, particularly in monsoon time.

Toy Train Joyride - Darjeeling to Ghum & Back

Toy train joy rides operate from Darjeeling Railway Station. It's a 2-hour round trip from Darjeeling up to Ghum and back covering a total distance of 14kms. There are several such round trips during the day starting in the morning. Number of rides per day depends on the demand during the month or the season. The train stops for 10 minutes at the Batasia Loop.

TOURISM


The Darjeeling Himalaya Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge narrow-gauge railway from Shiliguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 km long. The elevation level is between about 100 m at Siliguri and about 2'200 m at Darjeeling.

The DHR is the very first hill railway in India, and one of the first ones in the world, the “toy train” is operating and retaining most of its original features and values until today. In the mid-19th century, the British rulers built a recovery home away from home in the Himalayan city Darjeeling where the stress of colonial rule and the hot Indian climate could be put away for the summer. A sanatorium and a mi-litary depot were set up. The soft climate was not only good for recreation but also supporting ex te-nsive tea growing and pla ntation. Subsequently, Darjee ling became a well-known new British settlement and trading point for tea. Increasing traffic by people and commodities over stressed the existing cart-road and a new transportation system was required.

DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Simmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed

in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kms. (48 mi) long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres (328 ft) at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives ha ndle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The B class locomotive may be amongst the tiniest on its gauge and the railway is often referred to as a 'Toy Train' by its aficionados but it takes a crew of upto five men to maneuver this mighty machine on its journey up the hills. Apart from the driver and his assistant, there are two men seated on either side of the boiler smoke-box just above the buffer beam. Their job is to sprinkle fine sand on the rails, which helps in increasing adhesion between

rail and wheels, and avoid slipping and derail ment, esp ecially in wet weather. Finally, there is the coal breaker who is perched on top of the coal bunker and helps breaking larger lumps of coal. On the downhill journey, one may spot men between coaches often moving up and down on a lever and relaxing on top of the coaches on the level or uphill sections. These are not joy riders but 'brakes-men' who perform the crucial job of slowing down individual coaches through the operation of mechanical foot brakes. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The head-quarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong.

India is the land of diverse culture and rich heritage. No wonder UNESCO has identified twenty-six World Heritage Sites here. Each place has fascinating stories to tell. For one such impressive tell, visit Darjeeling in West Bengal and board The Himalayan Toy Train. It is not only an engineering marvel but also a delightful and enjoyable way to soak in the beauty of the passing hills and the dense forests. This eighty-three km long stretch conne-cting Darjeeling with the railhead of Siliguri will keep you entertained. So, board The Himalayan Toy Train for world’s most exotic train ride.The month of February 2019 was celebrated in DHR as Heritage month. Various events were organised in DHR. A steam special run was organised from Siliguri to Rongtong in February 2015. India Post and many countries has issued postage stamps on DHR. ¥

Have you ever been so enthralled by a book that you feel the

characters are real people, perhaps living in your neighbourhood, with whom you share the closest friendship?

The characters are fictional, and yet the fact that they live only on the printed page does not seem to offer any obstacle to this marvellous relationship we may enter into. Its all make believe; it is there only in the mind, and yet we are invited after the day's work is done to share a warm and intimate commu-nion sharing the adventures of the persons we so greatly admire.

I have a few of Jane Austen's books lying around in my home library. I had never thought much of Austen's writings, to tell the truth. Indeed, I found Pride and Prejudice an eyesore, a piece of fiction posi-tively tiresome to read. The novel for which this 18th century writer is best remembered was, to me, the most artificial and contrived story containing the most burdensome pieces of dialogue.

Things continued in this way till one day an event occurred that would prove to be a turning point in my attitude to Austen's writings;

The Home Antique CollectorRavindra Bhalerao

Freelancer, Nagpur

it was an event that altogether led me to revise the very unfavourable opinion of Pride and Prejudice hitherto held by me.

'The Great Writers' is a series of illustrated handbooks each devoted to a particular writer, ranging all the way from Dickens and Hardy and going as far back as Shakespeare and others who came before him. The book I held in my hand was devoted to Austen and her writings. 'The Great Writers' is a great series, and there are doubtless many who might have the whole set of issues to cherish and treasure. In my case, I have just a few of these little gems which have been carefully selected and preserved over the years.

So then what did the Great Writers have to say about Austen and her works? It began by saying that "the six most polished, controlled and elegant social comedies to be found in English literature were written

all that they knew was learned in the home. Austen's life story reads like a pleasant, misty landscape seen through the eye of a master painter, and each reading of the illustrated book brought new insights into the character and works of this great writer. The illustrated biogra-phy had a wonderfully soothing effect on my mind. It was as though I had gone through a crisis that toppled over my views. And thus when I turned to Pride and Prejudice again, it was with a renewed mind that was free of all preconceived notions and ideas. I found the work had begun to give me pleasure; it had begun to appear supremely readable, a masterpiece whose every word and sentence carried a carefully weighed meaning.

And what a pleasure it was to read Austen! Just look at those charming characters inhabiting the story : Elizabeth, with her "lively, playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous" ; Bennet, her father, "a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and caprice"; and of course, the principal hero, Darcy, whose "manners though well bred, were not inviting".

I am told that Jane Austen loved the quiet beauty of her native Hampshire countryside. As eventide approaches the sky has spread its crimson blue hue to the west, and swallows may be seen swooping down in curved lines, only to rise up high again twittering excitedly all the while. Ah, there in the distance is the spire of the village church. That is the path I am taking. That is the path that leads to Netherfield where a party is under way. Oh, forget its all just a story, I can hardly wait to spend an evening with the Bennets waiting to see which new facet of the haughty and reserved Darcy will engage the attention of the witty and vivacious Elizabeth Bennet ! ¥

by a woman whose personal life remains an enigma." On further reading, I found that Jane Austen was born in the latter half of the 18th century in Hampshire in England, and that the Austens were a "happy, lively family, reputedly good natured and sweet tempered."

Jane Austen was born of humble parentage, being the daughter of a country parson. The girls had very little formal schooling and almost

Jane Austen


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The Great Nalanda-Past and PresentRadha Kant Bharati

Freelancer, Delhi

The Nalanda Mahavihara (ancient Nalanda University)

had been a great seat of learning for about eight hundred years from 5th century A.D. to 13th Century A.D.). At the very beginning this was just a monastic institution accommo-dating thousands of travelling mo-nks coming from different regions. During their way at Nalanda monatery the Buddha’s Dhamma and Vinay based on ‘Pariyatti’ and ‘Patipatti’ dhammasasanam’ etc. Senior monks gave their sermons. This was the beginning of the an-cient Nalanda Mahavihar. The monastic establishment developed and ultimately it became the fore-most University unparalleled in the World. This reputation was so furthered that it came to be known as the “University of Universities”.

Actually the Nalanda Mahavihara had not only been a great seat of learning. But it also became a great centre of culture and civilization. This was a fact that Buddhism was studied here in all its branches.This was a fact that Buddhism was studied here in all its branches. But the comparative study of non-Buddhist thought and culture too had been studied here thoroughly. Thus it became a centre not only of Buddhist culture, but also of the Indian culture and civilization.

The name and fames of this University spread throughout Asia. Scholars from different parts of Asia specially from China. Tibet, Korea, Mangolia, Bhutan, Indonesia, Central Asia and the like came over here for studies.

Gradually there had been exchange of scholars between these two countries, Indian pundits from Nalanda went to Korea, China and Tibet. Tibetan scholars too came to Nalanda to enhance their know-ledge of Buddhism as well as Indian culture. Thus, the monk-scholars of Nalanda Mahavihar served as the apostles.

Geographically speaking, Nalanda can be spotted on tourist map of India as one of the best archaeological sites that we Indians can be porud of. The ruins of famed University were found in Bargaon village situated near the Nalanda Railways Station on Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar branch line of the Eastern Railways. If one goes to trace the place today, comes across the partially excavated ruins of the ancient University of Nalanda with a number of villages around having variety of Buddha images in different forms.

Although, Francis Buchanan had earlier seen the place in 1812, but he could not identify it. Regular excavations started in 1916 and with the untiring efforts of Hiranand Shastri for two decades, the mighty and majestic Nalanda resurfaced from the womb of earth. It is now popularly known as Khandahara (ruins).

Like Bodhisattva, Mahavihara was reborn with word ‘Naval’ preceding the nomenclature the dedication of Ven. Bhikshu Jagdish Kashyap 1951. It was nourished and looked after well by his worthy Successors. Students and scholars

from India and abroad are seen engrossed in their studies, meditation and spiritual elevation. A good reference library, several important publications of the Institute, digital edition of the Tripitgakas, indepth study of Buddhism with the help of original parakrita and Sanskrit texts, decipherment and study of old and obscure scripts are some of the commendable achievemens of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.

This resurgence is also marked by talking over of the Xuanzang (popularly known as Hieun Tsang) Memorial which seems to be vibrated with the saintly and scholarly sentiments of the great Chinese pilgrim. His contribution towards understanding and furtherance of Buddhist thought in the world is as meritorious as of any Indian Buddhist Acharya who went abroad with the torch of India’s great heritage. The great Nalanda is now transformed into an attractive tourist spot where on impresseive life size bronze statue of Xuanzand has been installed in the beautiful surroundings with lush green large lawns and fountains. ¥

Oulet for Purchase/Subscription of Magazines Published by Ministry of Railways

�ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION �India : ` 100 (`90 for Railwaymen), Foreign : ` 500 (Sea Mail), ` 1000, (Air Mail),

Single Copy : ` 10, Special Issue : ` 40

The monthly magazines viz.

‘Bhartiya Rail’ in Hindi and ‘Indian

Railways’ in English are now available

for purchase/subscription at

Souvenir Shop of National Rail

Museum, Chanakyapuri,

New DelhiFocu

s on

IRIT

M

INDIAN RAILWAYSRs. 10September 2019

HERITAGE

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Escalators - Indian Railways

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