Confirmed ticket holders only allowed on platforms at 60 major stations, including B'luru
New Delhi: In a bid to improve crowd control at stations with heavy footfall, Indian Railways has decided that only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter platforms at 60 major stations, including Bengaluru.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw chaired a high-level meeting with senior railway officials on Friday, following the stampede at New Delhi railway station last month that claimed 18 lives and left 15 others injured.
"Complete access control will be initiated at the 60 stations. Passengers with confirmed reserve tickets will be given direct access to the platforms. Those without a ticket or with a waiting list ticket will wait in the outside waiting area. All unauthorised entry points at stations will be sealed," the statement said.
A permanent waiting area outside these 60 stations would be constructed. The decision was taken based on previous experience of creating waiting areas at New Delhi, Surat Udhna and Patna railway stations which were able to manage large crowds.
Furthermore, it was decided in the meeting that all major stations will have a senior officer as Station Director. All other departments will report to the Station Director. “The Station Director will get financial empowerment so that he can take on-the-spot decisions for improving the station. The Station Director will be empowered to control the sale of tickets as per capacity of the station and the available trains,” officials said.
Another significant discussion was regarding the construction of wider Foot Over Bridges (FOB). Two new designs — for 12-metre wide (40 feet) and 6-metre wide (20 feet) standard FOBs — have been developed.
Cameras will also be installed in the adjoining areas of the selected stations, while war rooms will be set up at large stations, where officers from all departments will coordinate during times of heavy crowding. Additionally, newly designed uniforms will be issued to staff and service personnel to ensure they can be easily identified in crisis situations.
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'I go to Parliament to create impact, not ruckus': Raghav Chadha rubbishes AAP's allegations
New Delhi (PTI): "I go to Parliament to create impact, not ruckus," said Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday as he rejected allegations levelled against him by the Aam Aadmi Party, calling them "false" and part of a "coordinated campaign".
In a video, Chadha dismissed claims that he did not join opposition walkouts, terming the charge a "blatant lie".
He challenged his detractors to cite even a single instance where he failed to participate and said parliamentary proceedings are recorded through CCTV cameras.
Refuting another allegation that he refused to sign a motion related to the Chief Election Commissioner, Chadha said no party leader had asked him, either formally or informally, to sign it. He added that several other MPs from his party had also not signed the motion.
The MP said his focus in Parliament has been on raising public issues such as GST, income tax, air pollution in Delhi, water concerns in Punjab, public healthcare, education, railway passenger issues, menstrual health, unemployment and inflation.
Chadha said that he goes to Parliament to "create impact not ruckus" as it runs on taxpayers' money and it is his responsibility to highlight their concerns. "Every lie will be exposed," he said.
