Trains come face-to-face, but collision averted
Kolkata: Two passenger trains came face to face on Thursday at the outer signal of the Sealdah Railway Station here, but a collision was averted as both were able to stop, Eastern railway sources said. The driver of the Sealdah-Lalgola passenger which left platform 7 at the station at 8:10 am overshot the starter signal and entered the down main line at about 8:17 am, Eastern railway CPRO R N Mahapatra said. The train stopped just short of the Bongaon-Sealdah local which arrived on the down main line, he said. He said a collision was averted as both the trains were in very slow motion and the drivers could stop them. The Sealdah-Lalgola passenger was hauled back to platform 7 and later left at 9.32 am with a new driver, assistant driver and guard. A departmental enquiry has been ordered. The driver and assistant driver of the Sealdah-Lalgola passenger have been placed under suspension, a press released issued by ER said. (PTI)
Centre-funded welfare scheme a fraud with minorities: Azam
Lucknow: Almost 90 per cent funds given to Centre-funded Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Education Foundation remains unutilised, Uttar Pradesh Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammad Azam Khan on Thursday claimed. The minister demanded that the terms and conditions of the schemes run under the foundation be relaxed to ensure cent per cent utilisation of the funds or “they should be stopped”. “Approximately 90 per cent of funds of the foundation meant for distributing scholarships and grants goes back every year due to its terms and conditions,” Khan said in a statement issued here. He alleged that the schemes being run for the past five to six decades under the foundation are nothing more than a “lip service”. Khan said that though Sachar Commission was constituted but its first recommendation for giving reservation to Muslims in jobs was not implemented. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi’s jet forced to make go-around at Delhi airport
New Delhi: A business jet carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was forced to make a go-around while landing recently at Delhi airport as an IAF aircraft had still not cleared the runway, airport sources said on Wednesday. Aviation regulator DGCA is probing the November 26 incident when the Cessna Citation jet carrying Gandhi was asked by the air traffic control (ATC) to abort landing and go around as a large IL-76 aircraft of the air force, which had just landed, was still taxiing on the tarmac. Gandhi’s plane, which was returning from Rae Barelly, went around and landed safely later, the sources said. “There was no safety threat to the business jet. It was asked to go around, which is a normal safety-related manouevre,” they said. It was estimated that the jet would be able to land after the heavy-lift Illyushin-76 ‘Gajaraj’ vacated the runway, which did not happen, the sources said. Sequencing of planes for landing is done by the ATC which also accords priority for those carrying VIPs, the sources said, adding that the pilots of the jet had announced on the open channel that they were carrying a VIP. Gandhi’s business jet was given a gap of eight kms as against six due to the heavy-lift nature of the IAF plane, considering it would take more time to clear the runway, the sources said, adding that the IL-76 took more than the estimated time to do so. (PTI)