Traffic on South Western Railway remains affected for second day due to landslides, derailment
Panaji, Jul 24: Traffic on the South Western Railway (SWR) route continues to remain affected for the second consecutive day on Saturday, a day after two landslides occurred on the Goa-Karnataka border besides the derailment of a train in the section, an official said.
The landslides took place on Friday morning in the ghat (hilly) section of Hubballi division of SWR- between Dudhsagar and Sonaulim, and between Caranzol and Dudhsagar.
A senior official of the SWR said that a train running between Mangaluru Junction and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai, which had been diverted from the Konkan Railway route due to overflowing Vashishti river near Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, derailed on the SWR's Dudhsagar-Sonaulim section in Goa on Friday morning.
"The engine and the first general coach derailed. But no passenger was reported to be injured," he said.
Due to this, the train traffic on the route is yet to resume, he added.
Another train, Hazrat Nizamuddin-Vasco Da Gama that was travelling towards Vasco town in Goa was detained between Caranzol and Dudhsagar in Goa, the SWR said in a statement.
The SWR said it had already taken several contingency measures before the start of the rainy season. These measures were taken at suitable stations for any exigency in the ghat section during heavy rainfall, it said.
"As part that, JCB and other machines, and wagon loaded with boulders were kept ready at Castle Rock, Tinaighat and Kulem. They have been pressed into service to the spot of landslide along with the tram of trained technicians to carry out restoration of track/train services at the earliest," the SWR said.
Vasco railway police inspector Rajan Nigale said that the three scheduled trains on the SWR have been diverted/cancelled or diverted for a day though the debris on the track has been cleared.
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.
EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
