logo
Union Minister Pemmasani directs officials on traffic diversions for Sankar Vilas ROB construction in Guntur

Union Minister Pemmasani directs officials on traffic diversions for Sankar Vilas ROB construction in Guntur

The Hindua day ago

Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar on Friday instructed senior officials of the Traffic, Electricity, and GMC departments to ensure timely execution of traffic diversions, utility pole relocations, and other groundwork associated with the construction of the Sankar Vilas Road Over Bridge (ROB) in Guntur City.
Chairing a review meeting at Guntur Collectorate on Friday (June 13), Dr. Chandra Sekhar assessed the progress of ongoing development works within the city limits and evaluated the status of multiple urban projects launched earlier, with an aim to identify any unresolved issues.
Focusing on the Sankar Vilas ROB, the Minister noted that traffic-related challenges and inter-departmental bottlenecks were being addressed, with most issues from Sharada Colony to under the Nehru Nagar-Kankaragunta flyover already resolved. He added that pillar construction work for the ROB is expected to begin in a week to 10 days.
Dr. Chandra Sekhar also discussed drainage and traffic concerns at three other ROB locations in coordination with officials from Railways and GMC. He praised GMC sanitation workers and officers for their commitment, while acknowledging that certain areas still face challenges. Discussions were held on reinstating garbage bins removed under the earlier Swachh Bharat initiative.
Projects under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme are advancing toward the tendering phase, the Minister said, adding the Gorantla water tank centering is expected to be completed in the next 2–3 months. Works at Bongaralabeedu, Nallapadu, and the Narnie Venkateswara Rao Auditorium are also progressing steadily. Additionally, land acquisition for the Guntur Channel is slated for completion within five to six months, he said.
The meeting was attended by MLAs B. Ramanjaneyulu, Mohammed Naseer Ahmed, Galla Madhavi, Collector S. Nagalakshmi, Deputy Collector A. Bhargava Teja, MLC Chandragiri Yesuratnam, Mayor Kovelamudi Ravindrababu (Nani), Commissioner Puli Srinivasulu, and senior officials from Revenue, Railways, GMC, GGH, Traffic, and R&B departments.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Failure to timely detect flaws in rail caused North-East Express derailment in Oct 2023: CRS probe
Failure to timely detect flaws in rail caused North-East Express derailment in Oct 2023: CRS probe

Time of India

time11 hours ago

  • Time of India

Failure to timely detect flaws in rail caused North-East Express derailment in Oct 2023: CRS probe

The failure to promptly detect the flaws in the rail caused the derailment of the North-East Express at Raghunathpur Station in Danapur Division of East Central Railway on October 11, 2023, according to a final investigation report. At least four people were killed and several others were injured in the accident in Bihar's Buxar district. The report was submitted by Suvomoy Mitra, the then Commissioner of Railway Safety (Eastern Circle). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I lost my wife, now my son is in danger, please help him! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo "Stricker monitoring should be exercised in controlling the various processes involved in manufacture of rails. Railway may consider exploring possibilities of Real Time Monitoring of the health of track, one of the recommendations of the report recently submitted to the Railway Board," it added. The Railways in its action taken report said that continuous improvement and upgradation are being done by it and the rail manufacturing plant of SAIL/Bhilai for ensuring better quality of steel making and rail rolling. Live Events It mentioned several steps taken to improve the chemical and metallurgical properties of rails too. Regarding proper monitoring of track health, it said that various modules in the Track Management System (TMS) are operational. "These include monitoring of USFD (Ultrasonic Flaw Detection) testing of rails and welds. USFD operators regularly feed the USFD testing data of rail and weld during daily USFD testing on TMS," the Railways said. "These USFD testing data are monitored regularly at all concerned levels for necessary maintenance," it added. Addressing the concern of the CRS for real-time monitoring of the health of tracks, the Railways said that three technologies are under trial for broken rail detection systems in various zonal railways. These are the Continuous Broken Rail Detection System (NGRT), which is under trial in North Eastern Railway, Acoustic Domain Technology Rail Acoustic, which is undergoing testing in North Central Railway and Vibration Energy-based Broken Rail Detection System whose trial is in progress in North Central Railway. The CRS has further recommended that proper mechanisms should be available with the Railways for the identification of fatigue cracks developed in rails. The Railways has said that it has come up with a new technology known as Phased Array Ultrasonic Single Rail Tester (PAUT SRT) and Zonal Railways/ PSUs have been advised for the adoption of this new method for rails testing. Commenting on the condition of the engine and coaches, the CRS said that the locomotives and coaches of all running trains should be closely examined and defective rolling stock should not be permitted, more so in Mail Express Trains with high speed. "Records of maintenance of Coaches and Loco may be computerized similar to what has been done for Track Monitoring System (TMS) so that the data can be readily accessed for analysis and scrutiny," the probe body said. In response, the Railways said that they already have a laid-down procedure to regularly examine all coaches. The CRS also advised the Railways to consider installing a Cab Voice Recorder in the Loco to record the conversation between the crew during/just before any accident. "Crew Voice and Video Recording System (CVVRS) is installed in 479 locomotives and is under implementation by CRIS in all locomotives," the ministry said in its response. The CRS emphasised on the need for formal training or guidelines for videography and photography of the accident site, including drone camera of locomotive, coaches and track. The Railway Ministry said that guidelines for videography and photography at the accident site have already been issued by various orders.

Warped priorities: What Mumbai's suburban railway commuter deaths say about India's development dreams
Warped priorities: What Mumbai's suburban railway commuter deaths say about India's development dreams

Mint

time11 hours ago

  • Mint

Warped priorities: What Mumbai's suburban railway commuter deaths say about India's development dreams

On 9 June, 12 commuters fell off a suburban train near Thane as it jerked and swayed while navigating sharp curves. Four of them died, while the rest were severely injured. They were the latest victims of Mumbai's ageing and immensely overcrowded suburban railway network, an essential but deadly lifeline for the city's working class. Between 2005 and July 2024, a staggering 51,802 people died on Mumbai's suburban railways, according to an affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court by the Western and Central Railways, which together operate the city's three suburban networks. That's an average of seven deaths per day for nearly two decades, making it the deadliest suburban railway system in the world by a wide margin. Kolkata, with an average of 800 deaths per year, is second, while Jakarta, with around 100 deaths per year, is a very distant third. One could argue that not all these deaths are the fault of the Railways. This is true, but only to some extent. A few hundred die every year on trains or at stations due to natural causes. Another couple of hundred commit suicide on the tracks every year, on average. But these deaths still account for less than a fifth of the total fatalities. The rest are all accidents, caused by huge overcrowding, ageing and vastly stressed infrastructure, and a shocking absence of basic safety systems. Mumbai's suburban railway system is just 28 years shy of celebrating its bicentenary. The oldest suburban network in Asia is also one of the least modernised. Despite the astronomical increase in loads, the Colonial era infrastructure is essentially still in place. This led to incidents like the 2017 Elphinstone foot overbridge (FOB) stampede, which killed 23 commuters at rush hour. The causes of death are tragically predictable: commuters falling off moving trains, getting knocked off by electric poles while hanging out of overcrowded coaches, run over while crossing tracks due to poor access and track crossing FOBs. Several also get electrocuted while travelling atop packed trains, or are run over after slipping between the platform and the train. What's worse, the root causes and solutions for all these problems are known. Automatic locking doors on coaches will prevent people from hanging precariously from them. Boundary walls and fencing could prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the crossing of railway tracks. Better-located and wider FOBs, escalators, and elevators at stations could also prevent track crossings and stampedes. Vestibules between coaches would help redistribute crowding. CCTV in platforms and all coaches, with a 'talk back' facility to alert the motorman, would enhance safety while travelling. Extending the Railways' anti-collision system, Kavach, to the suburban network could avert collisions and accidents. Widening and lengthening platforms will reduce overcrowding and accidental falls onto the tracks at stations. Installing automatic platform screen doors in platforms, like in metro stations, will eliminate this. Altering track geometry at known accident spots will eliminate accidents like what happened earlier this week. In addition, a cyclical timetable, which commuter groups have been petitioning for since 2012, could increase frequency during peak hours by 30% and reduce overcrowding. All it needs is an enhanced signalling and a software change to the existing train control system. Also Read: Cabinet approves two multitracking projects for Indian Railways Neglected lifeline These are not futuristic, expensive dreams. They are 20th-century solutions that remain unimplemented a quarter of the way into the 21st century. The Railways already has the technology to implement all these solutions. It's not that the money doesn't exist or cannot be found. Over the past decade, based on available Budget numbers, between ₹5,000 and ₹6,000 crore have been allocated to the suburban railway network in Mumbai. Western and Central, suburban networks, meanwhile, earn almost ₹7,000 crore per year for the Railways. Governments also have no problem finding the money for projects that are seen as 'modern" and 'prestigious". For example, Mumbai's metro rail projects have a cumulative allocation of ₹65,000 crores. The two completed lines carry less than one-seventh of the load of the suburban network. The passenger fare is also vastly different. The average ride cost per kilometre is just 11 paise on the suburban network; it is over ₹2 per km even on the longest section of the metro. Also Read: Cabinet approves two multitracking projects for Indian Railways The real problem is that the users of the suburban railway – Mumbai's hard-working poor, the working class and the voiceless middle class – have no political agency. Their daily deaths have become so mundane that they cease to evoke any horror or anger. On most days, they no longer even register in the local news, let alone national headlines. This indifference and apathy are a blot on the world's fourth biggest economy, and India's aspiration to be recognised as a developed and prosperous middle-income country. It is a telling comment on our priorities. Also Read: Railways to take up Mission Amrit Sarovar projects, convert burrowed areas alongside tracks to artificial ponds

Bihar train accident: Failure to detect flaws promptly caused derailment in October 2023, says CRS probe
Bihar train accident: Failure to detect flaws promptly caused derailment in October 2023, says CRS probe

The Hindu

time11 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Bihar train accident: Failure to detect flaws promptly caused derailment in October 2023, says CRS probe

'The failure to detect the flaws in the rail promptly caused the derailment of the North-East Express at Raghunathpur Station in Danapur Division of East Central Railway on October 11, 2023,' said a final investigation report by Suvomoy Mitra, then Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) (Eastern Circle). At least four people were killed and several others were injured in the accident in Bihar's Buxar district. "Stricker monitoring should be exercised in controlling the various processes involved in manufacture of rails. Railway may consider exploring possibilities of Real Time Monitoring of the health of track, one of the recommendations of the report recently submitted to the Railway Board," it added. Bihar train accident | High-level inquiry ordered, many trains diverted as restoration works continue The Railways in its action taken report said that continuous improvement and upgradation are being done by it and the rail manufacturing plant of SAIL/Bhilai for ensuring better quality of steel making and rail rolling. It mentioned several steps taken to improve the chemical and metallurgical properties of rails too. Regarding proper monitoring of track health, it said that various modules in the Track Management System (TMS) are operational. "These include monitoring of USFD (Ultrasonic Flaw Detection) testing of rails and welds. USFD operators regularly feed the USFD testing data of rail and weld during daily USFD testing on TMS," the Railways said. Bihar train accident | Cracks in the tracks could be the possible cause of derailment, reveals primary investigation "These USFD testing data are monitored regularly at all concerned levels for necessary maintenance," it added. Addressing the concern of the CRS for real-time monitoring of the health of tracks, the Railways said three technologies are under trial for broken rail detection systems in various zonal railways. These are the Continuous Broken Rail Detection System (NGRT), which is under trial in North Eastern Railway, Acoustic Domain Technology Rail Acoustic, which is undergoing testing in North Central Railway and Vibration Energy-based Broken Rail Detection System whose trial is in progress in North Central Railway. The CRS has further recommended that proper mechanisms should be available with the Railways for the identification of fatigue cracks developed in rails. The Railways has said it has come up with a new technology known as Phased Array Ultrasonic Single Rail Tester (PAUT SRT) and Zonal Railways/ PSUs have been advised for the adoption of this new method for rails testing. Commenting on the condition of the engine and coaches, the CRS said the locomotives and coaches of all running trains should be closely examined and defective rolling stock should not be permitted, more so in Mail Express Trains with high speed. "Records of maintenance of Coaches and Loco may be computerised similar to what has been done for Track Monitoring System (TMS) so that the data can be readily accessed for analysis and scrutiny," the probe body said. In response, the Railways said they already have a laid-down procedure to regularly examine all coaches. The CRS also advised the Railways to consider installing a Cab Voice Recorder in the Loco to record the conversation between the crew during/just before any accident. "Crew Voice and Video Recording System (CVVRS) is installed in 479 locomotives and is under implementation by CRIS in all locomotives," the Ministry said in its response. The CRS emphasised on the need for formal training or guidelines for videography and photography of the accident site, including drone camera of locomotive, coaches and track. The Railway Ministry said guidelines for videography and photography at the accident site have already been issued by various orders.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store