Ara MP returns gold coin, silver bar gifted by Railway PSUs during Parliamentary panel tour
New Delhi: Ara MP and CPI(ML) leader Sudama Prasad has earned praise for returning a gold coin and a silver bar, gifts presented to him by Railway PSUs during a Parliamentary Standing Committee tour of South India.
Prasad, who is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, was gifted a one gram gold coin and a 100 gram silver block by RITES and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) on November 1 while the committee was on a study tour in Bengaluru. Upon realising the nature of the gifts, he immediately wrote a letter to CM Ramesh, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, expressing his disapproval and returned the items in front of other MPs in the panel.
In his letter, Prasad condemned the gesture as "unethical" and said that it borders on corruption. He explained that the gifts were handed to him late in the night, and he initially did not inspect them due to exhaustion from the day's activities. “Later in the night, I discovered one gram gold coin and 100 gram silver block were given to me by RITES and RVNL, respectively. I was taken aback and raised questions about public morality and ethics on part of of Indian Railways for having given such gifts,” he stated.
Prasad said the organisations' action is “not only unethical but borders on corruption to silence the MPs” from raising issues concerning the public at a at a time when passengers are facing multiple challenges of railway safety, increasing fares, lack of facilities and humiliating treatment by the Railways.
Prasad also highlighted the plight of sanitation workers at railway stations, who are denied minimum wages and forced to work under harsh conditions and face harassment at the hand of contractors.
He further expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment of passengers, particularly in general and sleeper compartments. He noted that no new trains were being introduced for the poor and middle class. The focus, he said, appeared to be primarily on Vande Bharat trains.
Placing the gifts in front of the committee on November 2, he expressed “dissatisfaction and anger for treating an MP in this manner” by these organisations.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
