Improve trains' punctuality during Parliament session: Railway Board to all zones
New Delhi (PTI): The Railway Board has sent an email to all its zones asking them "to monitor and improve the punctuality of all mail/express trains" in view of the five-day Parliament session starting from Monday.
An email from the principal executive director (coaching), Railway Board to general managers and other senior officers engaged in the safe rail operations has stressed the need to address all issues that impact the punctuality of trains.
According to sources in the Railways, the Board has issued this advisory as several members of Parliament (MPs) travel by train and they have to attend the special session from September 18 to September 22.
"Asset failures to be monitored and speedy rectification of asset failures to be ensured to minimize the impact on punctuality. Trains to be run at the maximum permissible speed to make up the lost time due to failures and other causes," the email said.
It added, "Excess engineering speed restriction affecting punctuality to be attended immediately and normal speeds should be restored on priority."
Speed restrictions are imposed on trains due to several engineering related reasons such as track repairing, renewal of sleepers, lubrication of rail joints, among others.
The Railway Board further directs the zonal heads to deploy officers "round-the-clock at major terminals to ensure right time start and punctual running of services".
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
