Bengaluru metro doubles coaches to 6 on one route
Bengaluru, June 22: The Bengaluru Metro rail operator on Friday doubled coaches to six from three to ferry more commuters on the east-west Purple Line.
Amid fanfare, the six-coach swanky service was flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in presence of Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at Baiyappanahalli station in the east to Mysuru Road station in the west via Kempegowda station in the city centre.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Bengaluru Development G. Parameshwara, Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha, city mayor R. Sampath Raj and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director Mahendra Jain along with Kumaraswamy and Puri took a ride on the six-coach train after it was flagged off 40 minutes behind the schedule.
The three additional coaches, manufactured by the state-run Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), were added to one of the metro trains on the east-west purple line, with the first coach reserved for women and children.
The additional cars were added seven years after the service was launched in October 2011 and a year after the former President Pranab Mukherjee opened the entire 43km phase-1 of the metro network, including the north-south green line.
Incidentally, the foundation stone for the metro project was laid by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006, when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister.
The three cars were handed over by BEML to BMRCL in February this year, after which it took nearly four months for them to be integrated with the metro trains and tested.
The metro service, which opened to the public in June 2017 after several deadlines were missed, has not eased the traffic congestion on the city's arterial roads as it covers a mere 43 km of the 800 km city with ever-expanding suburbs.
Currently, at least four lakh people use the Bengaluru metro each day for commute on its north-south green line and east-west purple line, the latter being the busier route among the two.
The addition of metro coaches aims at easing the peak hour rush.
By June 2019, the BMRCL aims for all the 50 metro trains running on the two lines to have six coaches instead of three.
With the addition of three coaches to each of the city's 50 metro trains, the number of passengers to ride the metro each day is expected to double to about eight lakh.
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Journalist Rana Ayyub faces targeted harassment after right-wing handle shares her number online
Mumbai: Renowned journalist and author Rana Ayyub faced a disturbing wave of targeted harassment after a Twitter account, known as ‘The Hindutva Knight,’ allegedly shared her personal phone number online, urging its followers to contact her. Ayyub, known for her investigative journalism and outspoken critiques of right-wing politics, reported receiving a relentless stream of calls, video calls, and obscene messages throughout the night, leaving her and her family in distress and without rest.
Around 1:15 am, Ayyub’s phone began ringing incessantly, as people sent abusive messages and calls, with some even attempting to video-call her in the early hours. She took to social media to express her anguish, describing the night as a "nightmare," as she endured targeted harassment by supporters of the right-wing handle.
In a tweet tagging Mumbai Police, the National Commission for Women (NCW), and Mumbai's cybercrime unit, Ayyub wrote, “I have lived a nightmare. This right-wing handle posted my number on Twitter… My phone did not stop ringing through the night… Is this how you plan to protect women, is this how women must feel safe in the country?”
Ayyub is an award-winning journalist, whose work has brought to light critical issues within the Indian political landscape. She is best known for her investigative reporting on sensitive topics, including her extensive investigation into alleged misconduct in Gujarat during 2002, published in her bestselling book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover-Up. Ayyub’s courage in challenging powerful figures and exposing controversial matters has earned her respect internationally, while also making her a frequent target of right-wing trolls and critics, who often attempt to silence or intimidate her through online abuse.
In her social media statement, Ayyub highlighted the growing issue of targeted online harassment of women in India, noting that her experience reflects a broader culture of intimidation that aims to silence female voices, especially those that question the status quo. She questioned the effectiveness of authorities, pointing out that despite numerous complaints to the Mumbai Police in the past, similar attacks persist. "If this can happen to me, a woman with a public profile," she stated, "I shudder to think what happens to women who might not have my privilege or platform."
Ayyub’s experience brings to light the challenges faced by women journalists in India, especially those who address politically sensitive issues. Many women in media, particularly those who critique right-wing ideologies, report receiving abuse, threats, and other forms of harassment as part of a disturbing pattern of online attacks that often go unchecked.
I have lived a nightmare. At around 1 am tonight, this right wing handle posted my number on twitter, asked his followers to text me. My phone did not stop ringing through the night. Video calls, obscene Whats app msgs. Hello @MumbaiPolice @NCWIndia, this was targeted harassment pic.twitter.com/3LOc1BaO1Z
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) November 8, 2024
