8 coaches of Agartala-Lokmanya Terminus Express derail in Assam's Dima Hasao
Guwahati, Oct 17: Eight coaches of the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express derailed at Dibalong station in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Thursday afternoon, Northeast Frontier Railway officials said.
There were no reports of any fatality or major injuries, they said.
“No major casualty or injury and all passengers are safe. We are coordinating with railway authorities and a relief train will shortly reach the site,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X.
The derailed coaches include the power car and the engine of the train.
An accident relief medical train has already left for the site from Lumding along with senior officers to supervise the rescue and restoration work, the officials said.
The cause of the derailment, which occurred at 3.55 pm, was ''being investigated and it will take some time to be ascertained'', an NF Railway spokesperson told PTI.
The passengers of the train will be shifted to a separate rake and transported to the next station, he said.
Restoration work was likely to take time due to the hilly and difficult terrain of the section, the spokesperson said.
Running of trains on the Lumding-Badarpur single-line hill section has been suspended, the officials said.
The railway authorities have also opened helpline numbers at Lumding.
Following the derailment, the NF Railway cancelled the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri special train and Rangiya-Silchar-Rangiya Express on Thursday along with both the corresponding trains on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Agartala-Firozpur Cantt Express has been short-terminated at Badarpur, the Sabroom-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express at Maibong and the Dullabcherra-Guwahati Express at New Haflong.
The Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Special and Agartala-Guwahati Summer Special will also remain cancelled on Thursday, while the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati Special, Guwahati-Agartala Summer Special, Kamakhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Special and Silchar-Guwahati Silchar Express have been cancelled on Friday, an NF Railway bulletin said.
Among other changes, the Silchar-Thiruvananthapuram Express, scheduled to leave on Thursday, has been rescheduled to leave at 6 am hours on Friday, while the SMVT Bengaluru-Agartala Humsafar Express, which began its journey on October 15, will be regulated suitably, it said.
8 coaches of Train 12520 Agartala –LTT Express derailed at Dibalong station near Lumding at 15:55 Hrs today. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 17, 2024
We are coordinating railway authorities…
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
