Kanchanjunga Express accident: Darjeeling villagers turn Eid al-Adha into day of rescue, sacrifice
Darjeeling: In a display of selfless courage and compassion, residents of Nirmal Jote village of the district turned a festive Eid al-Adha into a day of rescue and sacrifice following the tragic railway accident near Rangapani station, where the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express collided with a goods train, resulting in at least 9 fatalities and injuries to 50 passengers.
Several villagers in Nirmal Jote told The Telegraph the scenes were heart-rending. Disregarding their Eid celebrations, the villagers mobilized immediately, dividing into groups to aid the wounded, retrieve bodies, and secure belongings until authorities arrived.
Fazlur Rahman, 28, and his companions had just completed their morning prayers when a deafening noise alerted them to the nearby disaster. Rushing towards the scene, they discovered multiple derailed coaches and a chaotic scene of injured passengers.
"The scene at the accident spot was scary.... Coaches had been derailed. Some people lay unconscious, some were bleeding heavily, women and children were crying. I had never before been in such a situation," said Fazlur, who was marshalling his friends to help the injured while speaking to this newspaper.
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Fazlur added, "Several people from our village were at the spot, and we decided to split into groups and begin the rescue work."
While some groups helped the injured and pulled out the bodies, others collected the luggage and assembled them in one place. Some villagers brought water while others tried to help by providing first aid in whatever way they could.
The youths guarded the luggage until forces from Phasidewa police station and railway officials arrived about half an hour later. Many of the villagers stayed back till late in the afternoon.
Local authorities and railway officials later commended the villagers' proactive role in the rescue efforts, highlighting their invaluable contribution during a critical hour of need.
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25 lakh properties in Bengaluru brought under e-Khata system: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has brought over 25 lakh properties under the e-Khata system in Bengaluru.
e-Khata is an electronic property certificate that maintains ownership information in an online database.
The e-Khata initiative aimed to ensure accuracy, transparency and universal coverage for property owners, he said.
Addressing a press conference here, Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru in-charge Minister, said over 25 lakh properties are being brought under the e-Khata system. Of them more than 7,000 applications have been processed, and additional outreach measures being planned for those yet to obtain their e-Khata.
"Twenty five lakh e-Khatas is a great number which has created history," he said.
The Deputy CM said the government is ensuring that every e-Khata will have its GPS, the shape of the property, and the measurement with every photo and document.
He explained that the government is integrating Aadhaar details, digital documentation, GPS mapping and property sketches to create a robust database.
"We want to see that every record is filled right. They (officials) are asking for documentation, stamp, digital documents. We wanted to connect every Aadhaar card and have it online," Shivakumar said.
To facilitate access, the Deputy CM announced the opening of more than 50 centres across Bengaluru, many of them in government schools, where citizens can apply for or rectify their e-Khata records.
"All of them will be working this Saturday. This 'Khata Mela' will be done. It is 'Nanna Khata, Nanna Swathu'," he said.
Applicants whose documents require verification will be given an acknowledgement and asked to return after 15 days, during which officials will conduct site inspections, he said.
Shivakumar said the government has also taken steps to identify and reclaim properties recorded as roads in revenue documents, asserting that such lands belong to the government.
"We have decided through the law that all the roads in the revenue records have been taken out. Those properties belong to the government itself," he said.
He noted that the initiative has received recognition from the Union government. "The Government of India has awarded us. It said that it is the model for the entire country," he said, while thanking officials involved in the project.
The Deputy CM said the government expects around 10 lakh additional households to benefit from the drive and assured that even those who have not downloaded their documents will receive printed copies free of cost at their residences.
"We will see that all the 25 lakh people will get their e-Khata to their home free of cost," Shivakumar said.
On apartment properties, he said all flats that have obtained occupancy certificates have been cleared.
"All the 37,460 flats (who have applied for e-Khata) have been issued an occupancy certificate. We have cleared all of them," the Deputy CM said.
