Train services suspended on section of Mumbai suburban network after heavy rains
Mumbai (PTI): Local train services between Kasara and Titwala stations in Maharashtra's Thane district adjoining Mumbai were suspended on Sunday morning following heavy rains and a tree fall, officials said.
At around 6.30 am, soil came on tracks between Atgaon and Thansit stations due to heavy trains and a tree fall blocked tracks near Vashind station, disrupting rail traffic on the busy Kalyan-Kasara route, they said.
"Train services between Kasara and Titwala have been suspended temporarily," a spokesperson of the Central Railway (CR) said.
The tracks were declared unsafe at around 6.30 am, the official said.
Another CR spokesperson said an overhead equipment (OHE) pole tilted and the pantograph of a train got entangled near Vashind.
Restoration work was underway and efforts were being made to clear the tracks as soon as possible, the official said.
Suburban services are considered as the lifeline of Mumbai and neighbouring areas including Thane, Palghar and Raigad.
More than 30 lakh commuters travel daily on the CR's suburban network.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
