Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Bullet-proof glass for 16 engines in NC Hills section

Guwahati, Jul 30 : The NF railway has fortified 16 engines with bullet-proof glass and other such material to resume passenger trains in the NC Hills section from Lumding to Badarpur from July 31 while additional security personnel have been deployed for ensuring security to Railway staff on the stations and along the tracks.

It may be mentioned that train services in the Hills section was suspended following a series of attacks by the Black Widow group militants and though goods trains resumed earlier, passenger train services are yet to resume. However, railway sources said today that at the initial stage of resumption of passenger train services, only three trains would run in a day. The stations in the Hills section, which were closed following deterioration of the law-and-order situation, are being reopened in a phased manner.Sources revealed that the engines to be used in the Hill section have been fortified with bullet-proof glass and other bullet proofing materials to ensure safety of drivers as train running in the section was suspended after the death of a train driver in one of the attacks launched by the militants. Bullet-proof engines are already in use in the goods trains in that section. At present, the Railways are running 10 goods trains, including a security special train, in the section every day. However, night running of trains in the section still remains suspended in the area and even when passenger train services are resumed in the section it is unlikely that trains would run at night anytime soon.

Meanwhile, official sources said that all possible security arrangements have been made in the area to ensure safety of the trains and the Railway personnel. All the goods trains running in the area are accompanied by armed security personnel to thwart any possible attack by the militants.

Sources pointed out that the Railway employees were demanding adequate security arrangements in the stations to ensure their safety and keeping that in mind, five companies of RPSF personnel have been deployed in the area to be posted as static guards in 15 vulnerable stations. Sources said that security personnel including Government railway police men have been deployed in the other vulnerable stations. 25 sections of security personnel have been deployed to accompany the gang men deployed by the Railways for track patrolling, while, the telecom and signal staff are also being accompanied by armed security personnel. The Superintendent of Police of North Cachar Hills has been entrusted with the responsibility of deployment of forces available at his disposal according to requirement to ensure safety of the trains and railway personnel, sources added.

First train to chug into Agartala


Agartala, Jul 30 : The first railway carriage with at least eight bogeys is likely to reach Agartala on August 6, having traversed a distance of 68 km from Ambassa, the headquarters of Dhalai district, said F.S. Mina, in-charge of railway construction in Tripura.

Mina said the chief of railway security, Balbir Singh, would reach Ambassa on August 5 and come by train to Agartala.“All work regarding the laying of tracks and construction of stations is now complete. What we are doing now is the beautification of the stations and tracks,” said Mina, adding that normal movement of the railway would commence after Singh’s nod.

Yesterday, PWD minister Badal Chowdhury, transport minister Manik Dey and PWD chief engineer Sunil Bhowmik visited the newly built Agartala railway station and met senior railway officials.

Official sources said the railway would be formally inaugurated on August 15, according to an informal decision taken by the state government in consultation with railway authorities. “However, all now depends on the trial run of the first carriage on August 6 and the certification from manager railway safety, Balbir Singh,” a source said.

The state government now faces another problem in the poor condition of the 1.85-km approach road from the Agartala station to the Siddhi Ashram area. The sources said: “By August 10, the road will be repaired so that normal traffic can move and after the inauguration of the railway, the state government will acquire land on both sides to widen the road up to 50 metres because of the inevitable rise in traffic movement.”