Wind puts brakes on Violet Line, hundreds stranded
New Delhi, July 5: Commuters on the Violet Line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) had a tough time reaching their destinations on Thursday when, forced by wind, a portion of the railing broke away and fell on tracks near Lajpat Nagar, obstructing the run of the trains.
The DMRC attributed the mishap to wind and rain that lashed the city briefly in the evening and resorted to run trains in short loops between Nehru Place and Escorts Mujeser (Faridabad), and between Central Secretariat and Kashmere Gate.
The railing portion fell on track at around 4 p.m. on the stretch between Jangpura station (underground) and Lajpat Nagar station (elevated).
"A portion of railing on the ramp (where train comes out from underground Jangpura Station towards Lajpat Nagar) fell on track that goes towards Faridabad around 4:05 p.m. due to wind/rain impact.
"As a result, the train approaching towards Lajpat Nagar was put on hold," the DMRC said in a statement.
Commuters stranded inside the train had to vacate and walk along the verge of the track to reach the Lajpat Nagar Station platform, where they had to opt for alternative mode of transport.
To remove the obstruction, the overhead electrification was turned off between Central Secretariat and Nehru Place, it said.
It was not before 5:45 p.m. that the movement of trains could begin on the single line running from Nehru Place to the Central Secretariat.
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BESCOM to organise EV expo for Secretariat employees in Jan 2025
Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.
During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."
According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.
"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.
He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.
"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.
The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.
"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.
The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.
