Railways plans new Vande Bharat train from Mumbai-Mangaluru
Mumbai: Indian Railways is planning to introduce a new Vande Bharat train service connecting Mumbai and Mangaluru.
According to Mathrabhumi, The plan involves merging the existing Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa routes to create a direct service, allowing passengers to travel between Mumbai and Mangaluru in about 12 hours.
Currently, the Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa Vande Bharat trains operate separately, with average passenger occupancy of around 70 percent.
However, the Mangaluru-Goa route has struggled with low demand, with occupancy below 40 percent. To improve efficiency and attract more passengers, Railways had initially considered extending the train to Kozhikode, but this idea was dropped due to opposition from political leaders in Karnataka.
The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train initially had a high occupancy rate of around 90 percent, but this has now reduced to about 70 percent. Railways believe that combining the two services into a single Mumbai-Mangaluru route will help increase demand and ensure full occupancy.
There has been strong demand for better train connectivity between Mumbai and Mangaluru, and this new service is expected to benefit passengers by offering a faster and more efficient travel option.
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2 children die, over dozen fall sick at Lucknow rehab; probe on
Lucknow (PTI): At least two children died and several others fell ill, allegedly due to food poisoning at a government rehabilitation centre for children in the Para area here, officials said.
On Tuesday evening, approximately 20 special needs children residing at the centre experienced sudden illness and were taken to Lokbandhu hospital.
"Around 20 children were brought to the hospital Tuesday evening from the rehabilitation centre. All these children are mentally challenged. They were severely dehydrated when they arrived. Despite our best efforts, two children died," Dr Rajeev Kumar Dixit, Medical Superintendent of Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Combined Hospital told PTI Videos on Thursday.
Two critically ill children were referred to another government hospital, and the condition of the remaining 16 has improved, he added.
The incident triggered an investigation by local authorities.
Lucknow District Magistrate has formed a committee to determine the cause of the alleged food poisoning. Officials from the Health Department and Food Safety Department visited the hospital to interview the affected children.
"Officials of the Health Department and Food Safety Department reached the hospital. These officials have also questioned the children admitted," a government official said.
Food samples have been collected from the rehabilitation centre for analysis.
"A team of the Health Department and Food Safety Department reached the rehab centre and took food samples. Action will be taken based on the investigation report," an official source said.
According to District Probation Officer Vikas Singh, the centre houses 147 children, primarily orphans and those with mental challenges.
