Udupi: Train accident averted on Konkan Railway route as vigilant staffer notices defect on track
Udupi (Karnataka) May 26: A potential disaster was avoided on the Konkan Railway route near Udupi, thanks to the vigilance of track maintainer Pradeep Shetty.
In the early hours of Sunday, at 2.25 am, Shetty discovered a track weld failure between Innanje and Padubidri. He promptly reported the defect to the concerned officials, preventing a possible train mishap.
The defect on the track was swiftly fixed, and by 5.58 am, a track-fit certificate was issued with a speed restriction of 20 kmph for trains running on it.
Santosh Kumar Jha, Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), recognised Shetty’s quick action and announced an immediate cash award of Rs 25,000. The award was presented to Shetty at the restored track site later in the afternoon.
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Passenger Vishal Shenoy, who was aboard the Panchaganga Express bound for Karwar, recounted that the train was detained at Nandikur Station, approximately 9 km south of Padubidri. Simultaneously, the Netravati Express bound for Thiruvananthapuram Central was also held up at Innanje. Shenoy observed a Rail Maintenance Vehicle (RMV) heading towards Padubidri for track restoration work.
Train Number 16345, the Mumbai LTT-Thiruvananthapuram Central Netravati Express, was scheduled to depart from Udupi at 3 am, while Train Number 16595, the KSR Bengaluru-Karwar Panchaganga Express, was due to pass through the affected stretch around 4 am on Sunday.
Both trains remained stationary until the track defect was rectified.
Sudha Krishnamurthy, Manager of Public Relations at Konkan Railway, confirmed that train traffic resumed after the track received a certification for safe operation, albeit with the speed restriction in place.
However, the cause of the track defect has not yet been disclosed by Konkan Railway officials.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
