In 20 years, the local train system in Mumbai claimed the lives of 52,300 people
The Central and Western Railway zones reported a decrease in the number of deaths over time.The Railways notified the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that over 52,300 people have passed away on Mumbai's suburban train network in the previous nearly 20 years, according to Live Law.The high death rate among Mumbai local train commuters was being discussed by a bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.
Yatin Jadhav, the petitioner, had highlighted a number of issues that contribute to fatalities on the suburban train system.
In response to orders the court had issued in June, the Western Railway and the Central Railway filed affidavits on Tuesday and Wednesday. Local trains in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area are run by the two railway zones. According to The Indian Express, almost 23,000 people lost their lives on Western Railway routes between June 2024 and 2005. Between June 2024 and June 2009, there were almost 29,300 fatalities on Central Railway lines.
According to India Today, the Western Railway told the court that fewer people had died in previous years. In 2023, 936 people had died and 984 had been injured, compared to 1,084 deaths and 1,517 injuries in 2016.
According to an affidavit obtained by India Today, Santosh Kumar Singh Rathore, the senior divisional security commissioner for the Western Railway, stated that while the administration is sensitive to every incident involving injury or death, its efforts will not be successful until the passengers cooperate better.
It further stated that no new services could be introduced and that more than 100% of the train's capacity is now being used.
According to India Today, the Central Railway notified the court that there is an issue with widespread trespassing on the tracks.
The extra divisional railway manager (administration) of Central Railway's Mumbai division, Shashi Bhushan, told the court that there is a considerable risk of mortality due to slums being too close to the railway tracks.
According to Central Railways, during the past 15 years, fewer people have died while the railway network's capacity to carry passengers has grown.
1,782 people died and 1,614 people were injured in 2009. In 2023, these figures dropped to 1,221 fatalities and 938 injuries, according to the Central Railway.
According to The Indian Express, during the June hearing, the court ordered the general managers of the two railway zones to investigate the issue and requested affidavits regarding the precautions taken to prevent similar mishaps.
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US universities urge foreign students to return to campus ahead of Trump's swearing-in
New York (PTI): Several American universities have issued travel advisories for their international students as well as staff and urged them to return to the US before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January next year amid concerns over travel bans that may be enacted by his administration.
Trump will take the oath of office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on issues of economy and immigration on his first day as the 47th President of the United States.
Amid concerns over the disruptions caused by travel bans during his first term as president, several top US universities are issuing travel advisories for their international students and faculty who may be travelling outside the country around Trump’s inauguration.
According to data from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education, India and China made up over half (54 per cent) of all international students in the United States.
But for the first time since 2009, India became the leading place of origin with 331,602 international students in the United States in 2023/2024, reflecting a 23 per cent increase from the prior year, surpassing China, according to data from the ‘Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange’.
China was the second leading place of origin, despite a 4 per cent decline to 277,398 students. It remained the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517, respectively.
Associate Dean and Director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Students Office David Elwell in a post following the presidential elections said that with every election, “when there is a change in administration on the federal level there can be changes in policies, regulations, and legislation that impacts higher education as well as immigration and visa status matters".
Elwell urged students to assess their travel plans over the upcoming winter break, noting that new executive orders under Trump may impact travel and visa processing.
In addition, election transitions also impact staffing levels at US Embassies/Consulates abroad, which could impact entry visa processing times.
“Students who would need to apply for a new entry visa at the US Embassy/Consulate abroad to return to the US in their student status should assess the possibility of facing any extensive processing times and have a backup plan if they must travel abroad and wait for a new entry visa to be issued. Any processing delays could impact students’ ability to return to the US as planned,” Elwell said.
The Office of Global Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in an advisory recommended that its “international community-- including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship" strongly consider returning to the US before the presidential inauguration if they are planning on travelling internationally during the winter holiday break.
While noting that this was not a requirement or mandate from UMass, nor was it based on any current US government policy or recommendation, the university added that “given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office (January 20) and based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump administration in 2017", the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution to hopefully prevent any possible travel disruption to members of our international community.
"We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected.”
The Wesleyan Argus, the college newspaper of Wesleyan University, said in a report that the university has been “evaluating the potential future impacts" of the Trump administration on international and undocumented students.
“Much uncertainty surrounds the possible changes to American immigration policy that could be enacted by the Trump administration beginning January 20, 2025.”
The report added that Wesleyan’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) has been “concerned about sweeping policy changes” that could be implemented soon after Trump’s inauguration.
“With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19 and the days thereafter of the spring semester,” an email sent on November 18 to international students studying under the F-1 visa read, according to the Wesleyan Argus report.
Within a week of his first term as president, Trump had in January 2017 signed an executive order banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the US for 90 days, causing massive disruptions among communities and outrage and concerns by civil rights organisations.
