Rlys to construct pathways to help coolies ferry passenger luggage
New Delhi: In a major boost to passenger and luggage movement at railway stations, the railway board has approved a proposal to build pathways for trolleys used by coolies or sahayaks to move the belongings of passengers. The coolies were renamed ‘sahayaks’ in 2016 by the then railways minister Suresh Prabhu, in a move to shed the negative colonial connotation of the term. The construction of the pathways at railway stations is among a slew of initiatives planned by the railways to not only ease passenger traffic at stations, but also to enhance the social security for this unorganised sector. As of now, coolies, who ferried passenger luggage on their heads, have been given the option of using trolleys or hand barrows for carrying luggage. This, however, has created a lot of congestion at stations because often the trolleys are cumbersome and difficult to navigate during peak crowds. “Pathways for trolley be constructed to facilitate smooth movement. These pathways may be provided at all major stations,” the order stated. Along with this, the board has also given its nod to permitting educational facilities for children of the coolies in schools run by railwaymen’s organisation or mahila samiti at any station in the division where they are working. (PTI)
Mumbai slips to 49th place on cleanliness index
Mumbai: Mumbai has slipped to 49th place in the central government’s cleanliness survey, while only Navi Mumbai town from Maharashtra has made it to the top 10 list. The Swachh Survekshan awards 2019 were conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday in New Delhi where Indore city in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged India’s most cleanest city for the third year in a row, while Bhopal bagged the cleanest capital award. The awards are given by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. According to the survey report, Mumbai, which was ranked 18th in 2018, dropped to 49th place this year. Even the neighbouring Thane city slipped to 57th place from 40th position last year. But, Navi Mumbai scored better and rose to 7th position from last year’s 9th place. The Mira-Bhayandar town also jumped to 27th place from 47th and Vasai-Virar stood at 36th position as compared to 61st place in 2018. While the New Delhi Municipal Council area was given the ‘Cleanest Small City’ award, Uttarakhand’s Gauchar was adjudged the ‘Best Ganga Town’. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations’s (BMC) nodal officer for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Kiran Dighavkar, attributed the megacity’s low ranking to stringent parameters and lack of participation by residents in voting for the competition. (PTI)
Kolkata Metro services hit, passengers inconvenienced
Kolkata: Metro Railway passengers were inconvenienced twice on Thursday owing to a technical glitch in the third rail and its rectification, an official said. The third rail, an additional rail running parallel to the tracks, supplies electricity to the Metro trains. Services were first hit in the morning after sparks were noticed on the third rail at 8.25 am, when the train was approaching Dumdum station from Noapara, Kolkata Metro spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. “Power supply to the third rail was immediately stopped and passengers were evacuated from the train. They were then escorted to the platform at Dumdum by the Metro railway officials,” Banerjee said. Truncated services were maintained between Girish Park and Kavi Subhash stations during the disruption, the Metro sopkesperson stated. Normal operations resumed for three-and-a-half hours from 9.49am after necessary measures were taken by the Metro engineers, she said. “We had to stop the service again for half-an-hour from 1.30pm as power to the third rail was disconnected to rectify the faults,” Banerjee added. The glitch inconvenienced hundreds of passengers during the day. (PTI)
Hi-tech traffic management & surveillance set up in Raipur
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has set up a hi-tech ‘integrated command and control centre’ in Raipur for better traffic management and surveillance in the city, an official said on Thursday. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday launched the ‘Daksha’ project under which the centre has been built, he said. Set up at a cost of Rs 157.70 crore as part of the Raipur Smart City initiative, “the project will take care of safety and security, traffic management, public communication, and also to keep the city environment green,” he said. Under the project, around 372 CCTV cameras have been installed at strategic locations for better surveillance, he said, adding more such devices will be put up wherever required in future. ‘Intelligent’ (automated) traffic signals have also been put up at 40 locations, besides 36 automatic number plate recognition cameras at six locations and red light violation detection devices at 23 locations, he said. Devices for speed violation and wrong way movement detection have also been put up at some places to ensure strict compliance of traffic rules, he said. The project will be operated jointly by transport and police departments and the city civic body, he said. (PTI)