Bengaluru - Mumbai premium train service will start soon: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Bengaluru (PTI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai will start soon.
He said Karnataka has received a record Rs 7,748 crore in this year's railway budget -- nine times the allocation during the Congress-led UPA government, and the total railway investment in the state is Rs 52,950 crore.
"Massive investment will cover track creation, station redevelopment, safety, announcements, Bengaluru suburban and many new projects in Karnataka," he told reporters here.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that, "very soon, we'll be starting a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai. Tejasvi ji (Bengaluru South MP) had come for that, and many other requests had also come. Many sections are getting doubled, so very soon we'll have many more services."
On the Vande Bharat train from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, he said, "Now, the testing, certifications are going on for electrification. As soon as those processes are completed, we'll share with you the details very soon," he said.
On land acquisition, the minister said the Centre continues to seek the state's support as land is a state subject.
"We continuously pursue the state government for land acquisition in many projects. We believe in cooperative federalism. So we keep requesting the state for land acquisition. I don't want to specify any individual point or project. If needed, I can supply the details, but I don't want to get into the blame game. It's important that we all have the common objective of working for the people and our states," he said.
On the proposed bullet train corridors linking Bengaluru with Chennai and Hyderabad, announced in the Union Budget, Vaishnaw said the project would significantly benefit the region.
"As the finance minister said, it will connect the three large economies of South Indian states. They will become the high-speed diamonds of South India," Vaishnaw said.
A lot of work has already gone in, and a lot of progress has already happened in this regard, he added.
"But now we have to take it to the next level. And if we look at the capability that our industry has acquired, the capability that railway engineers have acquired, it will be a nice journey. Work will move forward very fast," he said.
He said work on the Bengaluru suburban rail has gained progress after a railway officer was appointed Managing Director of K-RIDE.
"Now we have the designs completed. We have the tender documents prepared.
We have got the approvals which are required for designing a complex system, like a suburban system, almost more than half is elevated, so it has to be designed in a proper way, and especially it is along the existing railway line," he said.
Vaishnaw said the design is done and that the progress is very fast now.
Calling the Yesvantpur-Kolar line important, he said the state government had withdrawn their support.
"So we will be requesting the state government to support it, because Bengaluru development is very important. We must double the capacity of Bengaluru. Then only can meet the demand. We must have more and more railway lines for the state."
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Oracle lays off around 12,000 employees in India, another round likely within a month
New Delhi (PTI): US-based IT firm Oracle is believed to have laid off approximately 12,000 staff in India, with another round of layoffs expected within a month, impacted employees said on Tuesday.
Globally, the company has fired around 30,000 employees.
"In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month," said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company's human resource department.
The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.
Oracle declined to comment on the development.
Oracle, in an email sent to staff, said the employees were informed about certain organisational changes and "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant".
The company has offered 15 days' salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India, in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and pay for a one-month notice period.
Oracle has also offered a two-month salary as a top-up.
However, the severance package is available for those who voluntarily and amicably resign from the company.
An ex-employee of Oracle, Merugu Sridhar, said that he was laid off in September for protesting against the 16-hour work shift that the company has in India.
"I contacted my friends and those who are in human resources. They shared that most of the Indians working in the US with the company have been impacted because the local laws there are very strict when it comes to the retrenchment of their citizens," Sridhar said.
