Mangaluru: Southern Railway General Manager R.N. Singh has directed officials to make provisions for additional railway tracks at Mangaluru Central station to handle future growth in train traffic and ensure smoother operations.
During an inspection on Thursday, Singh reviewed the progress of several station redevelopment and infrastructure projects under the Palakkad division. According to a report by The Hindu, both Kozhikode and Mangaluru Central are being upgraded as world-class stations, while Kannur, Kasaragod, Mangaluru Junction, and Shoranur Junction are being developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme to improve passenger amenities and infrastructure.
The inspection began at Kozhikode, where redevelopment work worth Rs 472.96 crore is progressing rapidly. Singh instructed officials to complete the project within the scheduled timeline. He then conducted a sectional inspection from Kozhikode to Mangaluru Junction, assessing track conditions, bridges, signalling systems, and passenger facilities along the route.
At Vadakara, Singh directed officials to examine the feasibility of setting up a new parking facility near the second entrance to enhance passenger convenience. At Kannur station, where redevelopment work is underway at a cost of Rs 35.63 crore, he recommended design modifications in the circulation area to improve passenger movement and station layout.
Officials informed Singh that 75% of the Rs 32.69 crore redevelopment work at Kasaragod station has been completed, while 97% of the Rs 19.62 crore project at Mangaluru Junction is nearing completion, added the report.
The GM was accompanied by Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager Madhukar Roat, Additional DRM S. Jayakrishnan, and other senior railway officials during the inspection.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
