Mumbai, Sep 7: A railway engineer's efforts to do his bit to ensure smooth functioning of local trains when the services were paralysed due to heavy rains on Wednesday has earned him a praise from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

According to a Western Railway (WR) official, the engineer, Harish Rathore, spent nearly 16 hours in flooded water monitoring the water level on tracks between Andheri and Vasai stations and clearing them.

The official said during the downpour, Rathore continuously coordinated with the city civic body to get the drains abutting the railway tracks cleared and accumulated water pumped out.

"Kudos to railway engineer Harish Kumar Rathore and his team who stood in flood water for 16 hrs to ensure smooth operation of local trains, amid heavy Mumbai rains. A fine example of how railway employees put in all efforts to ensure passenger safety," tweeted Goyal.

On Wednesday, the Kurla fire station recorded 141.97 mm rainfall in just 12 hours while the Santacruz observatory recorded 214.4 mm rainfall during the same period, bringing the country's financial capital to knees.

Inundation of railway tracks and inflow of water from the Mithi river had led to cancellation of several local trains, delayed flights and slowed road traffic.

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Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday slammed the increase of Rs 3 per litre in petrol and diesel prices, calling it "unacceptable", and demanded its immediate rollback, claiming the revision would affect various sections of society.

He said oil marketing companies do not reduce prices in line with global crude price trends and "take the profits".

"Union government oil marketing companies have increased the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre. This is not acceptable," Vijay said in a statement.

The hike has been effected after the "five-state polls" (four states and one union territory), he added.

This price rise will largely affect the income of the poor and middle class using two-wheelers and small vehicles, as well as others dependent on vehicles for their livelihood, the CM said.

It will ultimately result in an increase in the prices of daily commodities and also "affect the purchasing power of the poor," he added.

Citing the chain effect of the price revision, such as increased input costs for small units, he said it could lead to a "slowdown" in the market and exports.

"Therefore, I urge the union government to immediately roll back the price hike that will affect the poor and middle-class people and SMEs," Vijay added.

Global crude oil prices have surged more than 50 per cent since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation, which disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil shipments.

Petrol and diesel prices are now at their highest level since May 2022.