Guj shepherd runs for a km before flagging down goods train as he spots rail track broken; honoured
Indore, Feb 23: A 30-year-old shepherd averted an accident in Dahod district of Gujarat located on the Delhi-Mumbai route as he ran for about a kilometre before flagging down a train after he spotted a railway track broken at a place, officials said on Wednesday.
Dahod falls under the Ratlam division of the Western Railway.
The shepherd, Rakesh Baria, was honoured by the Ratlam division railway officials with a cash reward of Rs 5,000 and a citation on Wednesday, two days after the incident, they said.
The incident occurred on February 21, in which Baria flagged down a goods train by waving a red cloth after seeing the broken track in Dahod, due to which an accident was averted, the officials said.
After knowing about Baria's act, Ratlam's Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Vinit Gupta invited him to his office and honoured him with Rs 5,000 and a citation, praising his presence of mind and promptness, which helped avert an accident.
After being honoured, Baria said that when he was grazing his goats, he saw a railway track broken at one place, after which he ran for a kilometre to raise an alarm, but did not see any railway employee there.
"Then I called my father and informed him about the broken railway track. He tried to contact some railway personnel over the phone, but failed to do so," he said.
Afterwards, as per the advice of his father, he went to his home located nearby and returned to the track with a piece of red cloth, he said.
Baria said that later, he sat about two kilometres from the place of the broken track and started waving the red cloth on seeing a goods train. On seeing him, the loco pilot stopped the train by applying emergency brakes.
After that, the work of repairing the rail track was launched, he said.
The railway officials said that the broken track has been repaired.
A total of around 125 trains - passenger as well as goods trains - pass on this busy route on a daily basis, they said.
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CM Siddaramaiah vows action against Microfinance firms, announces legal reforms to protect borrowers
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the police would take action against microfinance companies in the state if complaints are filed regarding alleged harassment in the recovery of loans.
He also mentioned that his government would establish helplines for people to report any harassment.
Addressing reporters here, he said, "If a complaint is received, we will take action against the microfinance companies. We will also set up helpline numbers for people to report any issues with these companies. I have instructed police officials to act promptly upon receiving a complaint."
The CM's statement follows his announcement on Saturday that the government would amend existing laws related to money lending and introduce new legislation to safeguard the interests of genuine borrowers.
The announcement comes in the wake of reports of people dying by suicide and protests by women against the torturous microfinance companies across the state.
