Elaborate arrangements at Bihar stations to handle Chhath rush: Railways
Patna (PTI): Elaborate arrangements have been made in all stations in the Hajipur-headquartered East Central Railway (ECR) zone in view of the heavy rush of passengers during Chhath Puja, a senior official said.
ECR General Manager Chhatrasal Singh on Wednesday said the priority of the railways is to facilitate the smooth arrival and departure of travellers, and ensure their safety by preventing any untoward incidents.
"The number of Chhath special trains has been increased from 7,500 to 12,000 this year. A large number of people are expected to visit Bihar in the coming days to celebrate Chhath. The preparations for their arrival are already complete. However, the real challenge will arise when they return to their workplaces after the festival," he said.
"The window for the return is narrow, but for that too, preparations are in the last stage," he added.
Singh said the construction of holding areas at all major terminals will be completed by Thursday night, following which the ECR will conduct a "dress rehearsal" of arrangements.
"There will be centralised monitoring from Patliputra Rail Complex. Similar systems have been put in place in the offices of all the divisions to monitor traffic at stations," he said.
Singh said the number of special trains has been substantially increased this year in the zone, enabling people to reach even remote destinations solely by the railways.
"Many unannounced trains will be run from major terminals in case a large number of people without reservations turn up," he said.
Singh said more security personnel will be deployed during Chhath Puja this year.
"We have firmly resolved to ensure safe and smooth travelling during and after Chhath. Railway personnel are actively engaged in this pursuit," he added.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
