February 2021 ` 20

INDIAN RAILWAYS

KEVADIYA
Railway station
Inaugurated on
17th January

FIT INDIA MOVEMENT

ALL OVER INDIAN RAILWAYS

– Special Coverage
 FINAL ADRB NOV 18.pdf 1 05/11/18 7:50 PM

Riccardo Sparagi
CEO (Europe)
C

CM
Daulat R am
Electric
Engineering Services Private Limited
Locomotives
MY

Via Baldanzese, 35, 50041 Calenzano (Fl) – Italy. Telephone : +39055755325

Fax : +39055752483. Mobile : +393355418822. e-mail: [email protected]

6HDVRQ¶V Diesel
CY

CMY daulatram.com
Traction Motors

*UHHWLQJV Locomotives
K

Traction Transformers
Pantographs
Traction Alternators
Coaches & Harmonic Filters
Traction Motors
Trainsets Driver Cab Air Conditioners
Radiator Cooling Fans
Air Conditioners with Micro- Dynamic Brake Grids
processors
Dynamic Brake Blower
Bio Vacuum Toilet Systems Motors
FRP Toilet Cubical Auxiliary Generators
Side Panels and Roof Dustbin Blower & Motor
Panels for Coach Interiors
Driver Cab Air Conditioners
Seats and other Accessories
for Coach Interiors

0*5KOTCK2QUV1DGFWNNCJICPL&KUV4CKUGP0GCT$JQRCN+0&+#
6GN (CZ 
GOCKNKPHQ"FCWNCVTCOQTIYGDFCWNCVTCOEQO

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 3

4 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021
 AT THE FOREFRONT
OF INNOVATION

Design & Engineering

High Performance Connectors
Onsite Installation
Swaging Services
Pre-Piped Assemblies

Fluid Controls® has over 45 years of experience in design and engineering connections
for Rail & Metro brake piping assemblies. At our DSIR-approved R&D center, we offer
customers design and FEA services, performance testing at our state-of-the-art laboratory
and customized pre-fabricated tube and hose assemblies.

+91-22-68238000 [email protected] fluidcontrols.com

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 5

INDIAN RAILWAYS
February 2021 Vol. 64 No. 11
In this issue
Editorial Board
Shri Suneet Sharma
Chairman &
Chief Executive Officer
Shri Naresh Salecha
Member (Finance)
Shri Sushant Kumar Mishra
Secretary
Shri Rajesh Dutt Bajpai
Executive Director (I&P)
Shri Sudipta Sen COVER STORY : History Created in Gujarat as World’s Tallest
Editor Statue of Unity is now on Indian Railway’s map with
inauguration of new Kevadiya Railway Station
Editorial Correspondence by Hon’ble Prime Minister 9
EDITOR, Indian Railways,
Room No. 411, Rail Bhawan, PM Dedicates Rewari-Madar Section... 14
New Delhi-110001. Prime Minister Flags Off 100th Kisan Rail... 16
Tel. : 23383540, 23385072, Ease
Fitness Protocols of Doing for
and Guidelines Business with Railway...
65+ Years 17
43416 (Rly.) Indian Railway Launches Upgraded e-Ticketing Website... 18
Email : [email protected]

Business Communications
Shri Prashant Kumar Pattnaik
Business Manager Indian Railways,
OUR
Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan,
New Delhi-110001. UNSUNG
Tel : 47845378, 45378 (Rly.). HEROES
Email : [email protected] 36

Editorial Assistance
Shrimati Geeta Srikala “Who Am I?” -
QUIZ
Cover Photo Fit India Movement 36
Replica of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 22
‘Statue of Unity’ in front of Kevadiya
Railway Station inaugurated on
Zonal Railways/PU News 37
17th January, 2021
Unless specifically mentioned, the articles and The Changing Landscape of
statements published in this journal do not Contemporary Libraries 49
necessarily reflect the views and policies of the
 Shri Rajesh Kumar Sinha
Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)
The Siren Blown 51
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION (OFFLINE)  Shri Subrata Bhattacharya
FMC…54
 Shri Uppuluri Krishna Murty
INDIA Valour on Globalisation and Pandemic  57
` 250 (` 200 for Railwaymen) Footplate  Prof. S. Balakothandapani
FOREIGN Shri Sudhendu Him Darshan Express with Vistadome
` 1250 (Sea Mail) J. Sinha Coaches between Kalka-Shimla 59
` 2500 (Air Mail)
47  Shri Anil Saxena
SINGLE COPY : ` 20
SPECIAL ISSUE : ` 70 OTHER FEATURES
(See page 30 for PAINTINGS by Shri Om Prakash50
ONLINE and OTHER DETAILS) Character's Identity : Poem by Kavyayini Singh63
Twilight : Poem by Apurba Kumar Chakravorty63
 February 2021 ` 20

INDIAN RAILWAYS

KEVADIYA
Railway station
Inaugurated on
17th January

FIT INDIA MOVEMENT

ALL OVER INDIAN RAILWAYS

– Special Coverage

Editorial
I
f morning shows the day, 2021 bids fare to be an eventful year for Indian Railways. The first
month of the calendar year has been full of activities – portions of both Eastern (on 29th Dec)
and Western DFC (on 17th Jan) have been inaugurated, IRCTC’s revamped ticketing website
has been launched, Freight Business Development portal has been started, Kevadiya Rly
station inaugurated, 5 Kevadiya-bound trains flagged off from different directions and
inauguration of another renovated station in Gujarat ( Gandhinagar) is in the pipeline.
Kevadiya – a small quaint township in the Narmada basin of Gujarat State is suddenly
grabbing public attention. How many of us would have even heard the name 10 years back?
Barely a few. The small human settlement made brief appearances in Newspaper Headlines
during Saradr Sarovar Dam project movement and then once again quickly receded back into
oblivion. Today it is drawing throngs of national and international tourists. Apart from the
main attraction of the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel’s gigantic statue, today Kevadiya boasts of a
tent city, a cactus garden, a Children’s Nutrition Park, River-rafting and Jungle safari and
bears tell-tale evidence of what can be achieved when vision is backed up by steely resolve.
The new Railway Station at Kevadiya and trains flagged off during its inauguration will help
tourist have a quicker access to this newly developed tourist spot of Gujarat. The cover story
of this month is on Kevadiya and the newly inaugurated Station building there.
Apart from the regular features like Central news, Zonal Railway news, infographics and
picture Gallery the issue also contains a poem written by Ms Kavyayini Singh, 13 year old
daughter of one of the Board’s Officers and beautiful drawings by Shri Om Prakash, Sr PRO,
S Rly. 72nd Republic Day was celebrated all over IR with great patriotic zeal and enthusiasm.
Detailed coverage of the events will be carried in the next issue of the magazine.
Our magazine has a rich legacy of more-than-60-years old glorious past and our readers
will have a glimpse of it in our newly introduced feature named ‘From the Archive.’ We would
like to have our esteemed readers’ feedback on the item.
This magazine congratulates S Rly for having won SILVER in the prestigious SKOCH
Awards under the category of excellence in Response to COVID-19 and Western Railway for
winning the first position in Transportation Sector in the National Energy Conservation
Awards-2020.
Shri Suneet Sharma has joined as Chairman & CEO of Railway Board w.e.f. 31st December,
2020. The magazine wishes him all the best for the assignment.

Corrigendum : In the editorial column of January ’21 issue, 2020 was inadvertently mentioned as the 50th
Anniversary of Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing. 2020 was actually the 75th anniversary of the incident. The
oversight is sincerely regretted.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 7

 CENTRAL NEWS
History Created in Gujarat as World’s Tallest Statue
new Kevadiya Railway Station

H istory was created in Gujarat on Sunday, 17th

January, 2021 as the world’s tallest statue –
The Statue of Unity of Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai
The gigantic statue of Unity standing tall at a
towering high of 182 meters warmly opened its
doors to the public on 31st October, 2018 on the
Patel came up on Indian Railways map at Kevadiya, occasion of the 143rd birth anni­v­ersary of Sardar
Gujarat. On this occasion, Hon’ble Prime Minister Patel. This unique idea is a tribute to Sardar
of India also inaugurated the Dhaboi-Chandod Vallabhbhai Patel – The Iron Man and the Architect
Gauge converted BG line, Chandod-Kevadiya new of the today’s united India. The inspiring leader
BG line, Pratap Nagar-Kevadiya newly electrified stood tall and integrated the princely states into
section and new station buildings at Dhaboi the Indian Union laying the foundation of a strong
Jn., Chandod and Kevadiya. Hon’ble Prime and prosperous India. As an ode to this great figure,
Minister of India also flagged off 8 new
Kevadiya – bound trains from various
desti­nations through video conferencing.
With this marvelous milestone, a
seamless connectivity by rail has been
provided to pilgrims, passengers and
tourists alike from different parts of the
country visiting the various holy places
nestled on the banks of holy river
Narmada as well as other places of
interest in the vicinity of the Statue of
Unity.
The path to this achievement was
not at all easy in view of the challenges
posed by COVID pandemic reducing
work force of engineers, extended
monsoon resulting in loss of working
days and various hurdles faced in the
process of land acquisition. It is worth
mentioning here that the foundation
stone for the construction of Statue of
Unity was laid by Hon’ble Prime Minister
on 31st October, 2013 when he was the
Chief Minister of Gujarat on the occasion
of the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

8 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS
of Unity is now on Indian Railway’s map with inauguration of
by Hon’ble Prime Minister

the Indian Railways has

succeeded to bring every Indian
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE PROJECT
closer to this great son of mother
ll The project was sanctioned at a cost of ` 811 cr.
India.
Today, Kevadiya is a major
ll Land acquisition for new line project was completed as late as July
2020 and the project has been commissioned only in 5 months.
pilgrim destination drawing huge
crowds from all over the country. ll It has total of 7 stations with 3 major (crossing) stations & 4 minor
Kevadiya railway station has (halt) stations.
been registered by IGBC for ll Out of these 4 are new stations - Moriya, Tilakwada, Garudeshwar &
being India’s first railway station Kevadiya, and 3 are existing stations, namely Dabhoi Jn., Vadaj &
to be certified as Green Building Chandod.
ever since its inception. The ll There are 8 major bridges, 79 minor bridges, 9 Road Over Bridges &
water management through rain 31 Road Under Bridges.
water harvesting, sewage ll The sectional speed between Pratapnagar -Dabhoi has been raised
treatment plants and LED lights from 75 kmph to 110 kmph in a short span of 75 days & Dabhoi –
used in the Station will all play a Kevadiya section has been built with 110 kmph. The speed of the
major role in running the station entire section from Pratapnagar – Kevadiya will be further enhanced
to 130 kmph.
without any detrimental effect on
the environment. The projects ll The station buildings at Dabhoi Jn., Chandod & Kevadiya have been
(the stations and the new lines) designed aesthetically incorporating local features and modern pass­
enger amenities. Also, Kevadiya station is India’s first railway station
are also expected to give a fillip
with a Green Building Certification since inception of construction.
to the developmental activities in
the nearby tribal regions, boost
ll Modern engineering techniques & equipment such as Mobile Flash
Butt Welding machines, Ready Mix Concrete (RMC), Heavy Earth
connectivity to important
Moving equipment, Heavy duty Road Cranes & Track Machines were
religions and ancient pilgrim
deployed to quicken the pace of Civil Engineering work.
places on the banks of river
A unique technical solution for design of Minor bridges has been
Narmada, increase both domestic
ll

adopted by using locally available RCC Hume pipes. This has not only
and international tourism and
reduced execution time but has also garnered a savings of approx. 27 cr.
act as an overall catalyst for socio
Innovative technologies such as Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) &
economic development of the
ll

Sight Acceptance Test (SAT) for Electronic Interlocking Signalling

region while also helping
system through Virtual Mode (during COVID-19 pandemic) have been
generate new employment and
used to speed up the Signalling works & to reduce commissioning time.
business opportunities. It will
Tower Wagons, Over Head Equipment (OHE) wiring train were
now be easy for tourists to plan
ll

utilized for expedition of Electrification works.

their tours of the region.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 9

 CENTRAL NEWS
Train No From To Train Name & Frequency
09103/04 Kevadiya Varanasi Mahamana Express (Weekly)
02927/28 Dadar Kevadiya Dadar-Kevadiya Express (Daily)

09247/48 Ahmedabad Kevadiya Janshatabdi Express (Daily)

09145/46 Kevadiya H. Nizamuddin Nizamuddin-Kevadiya Sampark Kranti Express (Bi-Weekly).
09105/06 Kevadiya Rewa Kevadiya-Rewa Express (Weekly)
09119/20 Chennai Kevadiya Chennai-Kevadiya Express (Weekly)
09107/08 Pratapnagar Kevadiya MEMU train (Daily)
09110/09 Kevadiya Pratapnagar MEMU train (Daily)

10 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

SALIENT FEATURES OF KEVADIYA STATION

ll Kevadiya Railway Station has been registered with AC Waiting rooms & VVIP Lounge.
the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for being ll The 3rd level houses a viewing gallery from which
India’s First Railway Station to be certified as tourists can have a good view of Statue of Unity &
Green Building by IGBC ever since inception of a tribal art gallery is also being developed here
construction ll A 12 feet tall replica of ‘Statue of Unity’ is
ll LED lights and star rated branded electrical installed at the prime location of station
appliances will save electricity. circulating area. It is also designed by the same
ll Water management through rain water harve­sting, sculptor Shri Ram V. Sutar who designed &
sewage treatment plant, eco-waterless urinals and created the Statute of Unity.
drip irrigation. ll The surrounding area has vast parking space,
ll The segregated green waste at source will be reused landscaping, thematic park, solar light poles, wide
to produce fertilizer and reduce waste traffic way, horticulture plants, thematic park with
ll First 2 levels have passenger facilities such as selfie zone, food courts & children’s play area.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 11

 CENTRAL NEWS

KEVADIYA STATION

TRAINS READY FOR FLAGGING OFF FOR KEVADIYA ON 17 JANUARY, 2021

Southern Railway Western Railway

Complimentary food
during inaugural run

12 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

INTERIOR OF THE VISTADOME COACHES RUNNING ON

AHMEDABAD - KEVADIYA SECTION
Courtesey : Shri Ajeet Singh Yadav,
Publicity Inspector, Railway Board.

Sink-in Food-tray

Observatory lounge

FEATURES
* LHB Coaches with sky-line view
* Rotatable seats with sink-in food tray
* Large glass windows and
observatory lounge
* Wi-fi based passenger information
system
* Air spring suspension
* Charging socket below arm-rest
* Better ride comfort
* Digital display screen
* CCTV surveillance

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 13

 CENTRAL NEWS

PM Dedicates Rewari - Madar Section of Western Dedicated Freight

Corridor to the Nation
• India Joins Select Nations in the World with the flag off of Double Stack Container Train

P rime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to

the nation the 306 km long Rewari-Madar
section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor
Rewari-Manesar, Narnaul, Phulera & Kishangarh
areas of Rajasthan & Haryana. In addition to this,
the container depot of CONCOR at Kathuwas
(WDFC) 7th January, 2021 through video conference. will also come on the DFC map and get advantage
He also flagged off the Double Stack Long Haul in terms of faster throughput. The ports of Gujarat
Container Train on this route. Governors Rajasthan like Kandla, Pipavav, Mundhra, Dahej etc will
and Haryana, Chief Ministers of Rajasthan have an uninterrupted connectivity to the Northern
and Haryana and Union Ministers Shri Piyush parts of India. With the dedication to the nation
Goyal, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Shri of the 351-km Bhaupur- Khurja section, and
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Shri Kailash Choudhary, Shri the interchange point between the WDFC &
Rao Inderjit Singh, Shri Ratan Lal Kataria, Shri EDFC at Dadri, seamless connectivity can be
Krishan Pal Gurjar were present on the occasion. ensured.
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of
India (DFCCIL) is constructing the Western DFC
(1506 Route km) and Eastern DFC (1875 route km
including Sonnagar-Dankuni PPP Section). The
EDFC starting from Sahnewal near Ludhiana
(Punjab) will pass through the states of Punjab,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to
terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal. The Western
Corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai will
traverse through the states of UP, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
DFCCIL will run freight train at the maximum
speed of 100 km/per hour as against the current
maximum speed of 75 kmph on Indian Railway
tracks whereas the average speed of freight trains
will also be increased from existing speed of
26 kmph on Indian Railways lines to 70 kmph on
Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC). The opening of
this stretch will benefit various industries in

14 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS
OPERATION CONTROL CENTRE (OCC) AT PRAYAGRAJ

HIGHPOINTS EARLIER
● Heavy Haul train operation Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurated the 351
with 25 Ton axle load has been Km Bhadan - Khurja Section and Operation Control Centre at
envisaged for the First time in Prayagraj on 29th December, 2020. Shri Yogi Adityanath, Hon’ble Chief
India. Minister, Uttar Pradesh along with Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble
● Double stack long haul cont­ Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food
ainers train movement on this and Public Distribution also graced the occasion.
section will give assured time This important section is situated in India’s most populous state
bound delivery at Ports and of Uttar Pradesh and is built at a cost of ` 5,750 crores. This section
faster evacuation of cargo from is funded by the World Bank. The New stations in this section are
the ports to the hinterland. Bhaupur, Kanchausi, Achalda, Ekdil, Bhadan, Makhanpur, Tundla,
● Double line electric (2 X 25 KV) Hathras, Daudkan & Khurja. Some of the important Industrial Areas
track to undertake higher haul­ that straddle this section are Aligarh, Khurja, Firozabad and Agra.
age at higher speeds This section will open new vistas of opportunity for the districts
● Automated New Track Constr­ passing through the Khurja-Bhaupur section. The DFC alignment
uction (NTC) machine with covers the districts of Kanpur Dehat, Aurayia, Etawah, Firozabad,
record single day track laying of Hathras, Aligarh and Bulandshahr. Kanpur Dehat district's
more than 3 km. Pukhrayan region is known for aluminium utensils production. They
● More Powerful Locomotives are sold in local markets as well as in other districts like Jhansi,
7000 kW (9000 HP) CO-CO 6 Hamirpur, Banda, Kanpur, Auraiya, Etawah etc. DFC will provide a
axles wider reach for the aluminium industry. Auraiya district is renowned
● High rise Over Head Equipment for milk processing and the production of desi ghee which is an
(OHE) of 7.4 meter height offshoot of animal husbandry. The district is a major producer of pure
(existing IR OHE 5.5 m) for desi ghee.
double stack container move­ The state-of-the-art Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj
ment on flat wagons. (Allahabad) will act as the command centre for the entire route length
● Connecting Multi Modal Logistic of 1856 Kms. of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC),
Hubs and Delhi-Mumbai controlling and monitoring the system including Train operation and
Industrial Corridor power supply system.
● Reduced Energy Consumption
using latest technology Building Architecture
● Green Initiatives - developed as The OCC has a total built-up area of 13,030 square metres and
‘Low Carbon & Energy Ef­ficient has been developed on a land parcel of 4.20 acres. It is one of the most
Green Transportation’ with modern and resilient control buildings of its kind globally for Train
reduced GHG emiss­ ions w.r.t. Operations. The building is environment-friendly with a Green
freight transportation by Building rating of GRIHA4 equipped with solar power and rain water
existing rail and road system harvesting. The OCC is fully equipped to meet the purpose of
● Exclusive operation for freight Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) for achieving
trains universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 15

 CENTRAL NEWS

Prime Minister Flags Off 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola to Shalimar

S hri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister

flagged off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola
(Maharashtra) to Shalimar (West Bengal) on 28th
huge traffic of capsicum, pomegranate, grapes grown
in Sangola, Pandharpur, Modlimb, Kavathe-
Mahankal and Salgare in Solapur and Sangli
December, 2020 through video link. districts; lemons from Ahmednagar area, tomato
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for and raw-plantain in the areas of Jeur and Karmala
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, which were earlier being transported by road are
Panchayati Raj and Food Processing Industries, now being transported by Kisan Rail.
Govt. of India and Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister for Orange isan Rail for transporting oranges from
Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Nagpur and surrounding areas was started from
Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Govt. of India 14th October, 2020. This area is famous for other
were present on the occasion through video link. agro products for which there is a huge demand.
The first Kisan Rail which started in August 2020 The introduction of Santra Kisan Rail on Railways
as a weekly train, gained popularity and is now has proved to be another master stroke which will
running on three days in a week. not only increase orange production but also pave
the way for distribution of the famous oranges of
Background Maharashtra all over the country. This is no less
Railways and Agriculture both worked even than a boon to the Orange Producers.
during lockdown and ensured the foodgrains Sangola-Shalimar Kisan Rail was started on
reached every nook and corner of the country. 28th November, 2020. The multi-commodity train
Kisan Rail has become a game changer in ensuring service, carries vegetables such as cauliflower,
a fast trans­portation of agriculture produce across chillies, onion, etc., as well as fruits like grapes,
the nation. It provides seamless supply chain of oranges, pomegranate, banana, custard apple. etc.
perishable produce. Indian Railways introduced The loading and unloading of perishable
first ‘Kisan Rail’ from Devlali commodities will be permitted
to Danapur on 7th August, at all enroute sto­ppages and no
2020. This train was further minimum or maximum size of
extended upto Muzaffarpur con­signment is stipulated. A
with an increased frequency farmer can book a few
from weekly to 3 days in a kilograms to several tonnes as
week as a result of good per his requirement. Govt. of
response from the farmers India has extended a subsidy of
taking advantage of the 50% on transpo­rtation of fruits
service to send their produce and vegetables, through Kisan
to the distant places of Rails. Kisan Rail will continue
Northern India. to cater to the requirements of
A Link Kisan Rail from small farmers and small
Sangola in Maharashtra traders for carrying their
followed soon. There was a First Kisan Rail flagged off on 7 August, 2020 perishables to distant places.

16 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

Ease of Doing Business with Railway gets a solid boost

Shri Goyal said that Indian Railway is an
invisible thread which connects the length and
breath of India. During the lock down, Railway
showed it's resolve in delivering the essential
supplies to the nation in most challenging times
and keep national supply chains running. The new
portal will be game changer in ensuring in ease of
doing business with Railways. The portal will
ensure that best services are available to the

I ndian Railways is the backbone of the country's

logistics sector. During 2020, when most of the
activities were under lockdown, Indian Railways
was providing relentless services in Freight trans­
po­rtation in the country. Indian Railways achieved
highest ever loading continuously in Sept, Oct, Nov
and Dec 2020. Indian Railways has embraced a
‘Freight on Priority’ policy by pushing for an
aggressive customer-centric approach to expand
the freight carried not only from the traditional
seg­ments but also by attracting new customers to
its fold.
In its commitment to take level of customer
services to new heights, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister
for Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer clients. The Minister said that last 6 years have
Affairs and Food & Public Distribution launched seen an extra ordinary development in all spheres
on 5th January, 2021 a Freight Business Develo­ of Railway operations under the leadership of PM.
pment Portal as one stop solution for all the needs Indian Railway is getting future ready. The
of freight customers. commitment of Railways to further improve the

THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE PORTAL ARE AS BELOW

a) New to Rail d) Tools and Services

A new customer can register on this portal Your business is of utmost importance for us,
and place demand for wagons in the most we value your time and are committed to offer you
convenient way. the frequently accessed tools and services to
b) Existing Customers provide direct access to vital information.
Railways’ prestigious freight customers are our e) Logistics Partners
most valuable assets, we’re committed to offer them Indian Railways invites and welcomes the
the best-in-class services, the personalization and partnerships in Indian Railways freight operations
vital information that plays a key role in their across the country. One may join the network
business developments, sustenance and expan­sions. through investments in Private Sidings, Private
The personalized dashboard of Freight Business Freight Terminals or Railways Owned Goods
Portal shall bring one the single view, which gives Sheds to make railways, a part of the supply
access to the entire business with Indian Railways. chain.
c) Commodity Pages f ) Professional Support
The portal has commodity pages on major Indian Railways is always committed to
commodities transported by Railways: Coal, provide professional support to its valued customers.
Minerals and Ores, Food Grain, Flour & Pulses, The customers can contact Indian Railway officials
Cement & Clinker, Chemical Manure, Iron and on phone or in writing. The customers can send
Steel, Petroleum products, Container services, their suggestion, query or complaint to Indian
Automobile and more. Railways through contact us option.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 17

 CENTRAL NEWS

services is unflinching. Greatness of Railways and developed keeping in mind the varied needs of
would not just be in being better than someone else all existing as well as new customers with focus on
but being the BEST. The portal can be accessed by ease of doing business, to bring more transparency
logging on to Indian Railways web site and to provide professional support.
https://indianrailways.gov.in/#
Or Benefits to the Customers
https://www.fois.indianrail.gov.in/RailSAHAY The Portal has been specially designed and
First of it's kind dedicated Freight portal will developed keeping in mind the varied needs of all
ensure that all operations stay customer centric, existing as well as new customers with focus on
reduce the costs for logistics providers, provide ease of doing business, to bring more transparency
online tracking facility for suppliers and also and to provide professional support.
simplify the process of goods transportation. The event was attended by Chairman & CEO
Freight Business Development portal has been Railway Board, heads, business leaders and officials
designed to replace physical processes with online of multi modal logistics service providers, commodity
ones to minimize the need of human to human sectors like foodgrains, steel, auto, salt etc and
interaction. The Portal has been specially designed other stake holders.

Indian Railway Launches Upgraded e-Ticketing Website & Mobile App for Booking of
Online Railway Tickets – New Year gift to the passengers
F ollowing the vision of ‘Digital India’ of Hon’ble
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Indian
Railways has revamped & upgraded its e-ticketing
working to augment its services to further improve
the rail travel experience. This Upgraded e-ticketing
platform for booking of online Railway tickets, will
website www.irctc.co.in and IRCTC Rail Connect enhance passenger convenience.”
Mobile App, which are used for booking of Railway
tickets ‘online’. e-Ticketing services for booking of Indian Railway
The Upgraded e-ticketing Website & App, Tickets
offering ‘Best-in-class’ features was launched by In 2014, the Next Generation E-ticketing
Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry (NGeT) system was launched to provide seamless
and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, e-ticketing services – higher booking loads and
Shri Piyush Goyal on 31st December, 2020. better user interface, through IRCTC. The upgraded
Speaking on the occasion, he said “The Railways e-ticketing website & App will provide the next
is committed to serving the nation, and constantly level of services and experience to the rail users.

18 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

Customer experience has been the focus for revamping

œœ Website & App, offering ‘Best-in-class’
the features features
The railway customer has been focus of the œœ The booking of meals, retiring rooms and
design of this new world class website for booking hotels has been integrated and can be
of rail tickets. Novel user personalization features directly along with the tickets
linked to user log in, have been incorporated for the œœ Predictive entry suggestions using Artificial
first time ever, along with customizations for Intelligence to be given to the passenger
seamless travel experience, one stop train selection œœ Simpler checking of the refund status
for booking, and integrated booking for meals & œœ All information on one page
accommodation with tickets.

Minister of Railways delivering speech on the occasion of inauguration of IRCTC's revamped website

SALIENT FEATURES OF NEW USER INTERFACE

ll Customized Prompts for individual’s (on login) Dashboard for Last Transaction, Upcoming Journeys,
booking Meals, Hotel and Retiring Room.
ll One click Rebook Favourite Journeys and Refund Status Check.
ll Intelligent Journey and Stations Suggestions from Recent Searches / bookings: Display of Most booked
stations and Routes by the individual (on login) or generally, first in the dropdown list of ‘From Stations’.
ll Provision to search Trains with Available Berths only.
ll Provision of Storing Passenger names and prompting them while booking tickets.
ll Convenience for booking Meals, Hotel and Retiring Room while booking tickets and for upcoming
journeys.
ll One Stop Train Selection features on Same Page like Class Wise Fare, Seat Availability, Confirmation
Probability (in case of WL) and various filters for all classes available on trains to reduce number of
clicks and searches.
ll More enhanced design of payment page, Summary Page with more Journey, passenger, fare and Meal
Opted details in the side block.
ll New Location for ‘Boarding Point Change’ with more details like Boarding Date and Time

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 19

 CENTRAL NEWS

Latest news from IRCTC

E-Catering Services For Passengers to Re-start

T he Indian Railways under the leadership of Hon’ble Minister of Railways and Minister for Commerce
and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Distribution Sh. Piyush Goyal has achieved a number
of milestones recently in partial fulfillment of the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister for ‘Atmanirbhar
Bharat’ and ‘Digital India’. The launch of the new user interface of the internet ticketing website www.
irctc.co.in and addition of new real time feature in IRCTC’s own payment gateway i-Pay during booking
of tickets are among the new initiatives of Railways towards improving the user ticket booking
experience on digital platforms.
In a latest, IRCTC – the catering and tourism arm of Indian Railways is going to restart its
e-catering services for the passengers traveling in the currently operating special trains. IRCTC had
started this unique service in the year 2014 whereby passengers could order an array of food of their
choice from reputed brands as well as popular regional and local delicacies on phone or online while
traveling on trains and get the same delivered to their seats at railway station. During the pre-COVID
period, IRCTC had started clocking 20000 e-catering orders per day.
Due to onset of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic declared by WHO and consequent unprecedented
lockdown, E-Catering Services was suspended on 22nd March, 2020. However, with the gradual
resumption of passenger train services and amidst the new normal wherein IRCTC is serving only
‘Ready To Eat’ meals to passengers on trains, there has been an increase demand for resumption of
E-catering services.
With the permission from Ministry of Railways coming in, IRCTC is ready to resume the E-catering
services on trains shortly in phase-wise manner. The company is starting the first phase of E-catering
services from February, 2021 wherein the service shall commence over thirty numbers of Railway
Stations catering to approximately. 250 trains. IRCTC is ensuring that all its E-catering partners
ensure proper health and hygiene protocols while serving the meals to the passengers.
The passengers shall avail the services of E-Catering through www.ecatering.irctc.com. E-catering
orders through telephone is also being restored over 1323 shortly. Passengers can also download IRCTC
E-catering App “Food On Track” from the various App stores and avail E-Catering Services. For
convenience of the passengers option of Cash on delivery has also been provided.

20 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

Shri Suneet Sharma Takes over the Charge of

New Chairman & CEO of Railway Board
S hri Suneet Sharma, has taken
over the charge of new Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
instrumental in adding infra­
structure which br­ ought about
operational efficiency. As Chief
Railway Board (Ministry of Mechanical Engineer, BLW he
Railways) and ex-officio Principal was team leader for starting electric
Secretary to Government of India. locomotive pro­
duction. Conversion
The appointments committee of the of diesel to electric locomotives
Cabinet has approved the took place under his leadership in
appointment of Shri Suneet Sharma record time and for the first time
as Chairman & CEO of Railway anywhere in the world.
Board. Prior to this, Shri Suneet As General Manager Modern
Sharma worked as General Coach Factory, Raebareli, he set a
Manager, Eastern Railway. record by doubling the outturn of
Shri Suneet Sharma joined the the much required modern
Indian Railways in 1979 as a passenger coaches in one year. As
Special Class Apprentice while he was studying General Manager Eastern Railway, he took
engineering at IIT Kanpur. A graduate in initiative in increasing the speed of goods trains
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, he has to a record level and for completing a number of
more than 40 years of experience serving in the infrastructure projects of new lines and electri­
Indian Railways in various capacities. He was fication which not only resulted in operational
Chief Workshop Manager, Parel workshop in efficiency but developed the local areas. He is
Mumbai where he was instrumental in known for bringing about systemic changes for
manufacturing narrow gauge locomotives for hill ease of working and administrative reforms.
railways. He also restored old steam narrow During the course of his career, he has won
gauge locomotive for the heritage Matheran line many professional awards. During his stints as
near Mumbai. During the 2006 Mumbai suburban General Manager (Modern Coach Factory
train blasts, he was part of the team which put Raebareli) and Chief Mechanical Engineer
the suburban network on track within a few (Banaras Locomotive Works) the factories won
hours after the terror attack. As ADRM, Mumbai the award for best production units.
CST, he is credited with increasing the services Suneet Sharma has attended professional
of the suburban network, which is considered the training in Germany and France and he has done
life-line of Mumbai. During the 2008 Mumbai an advanced leadership and management course
terror attacks, he was part of the team that at Carnegie Mellon University in USA. He has
managed the aftermath of the attacks at Mumbai visited Iran as a consultant for manufacture of
CST, Central Railway. As DRM Pune he was locomotives.

Shri V.K. Yadav, ex-Chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways has been
Conferred with the Prestigious ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2020’
S hri V.K. Yadav, ex-
Chairman & CEO,
Railway Board, Ministry of
and Technology (IET) for his outstanding
contribution towards modernization and reforms
over Indian Railways. Every year Institution of
Railways has been conferred
Engineering and Technology, Delhi Local Network
with the prestigious
‘Eminent Engineer Award celebrates Engineers’ Day on the 15th September
for the Year 2020’ by the to comme­morate the birth anniversary of Bharat
Institution of Engineering Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 21

 Fitness

Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India had planned
a series of activities and campaigns during the month of December 2020 under the aegis of ‘FIT
INDIA’ Movement to promote fitness across the country. Envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister
as People’s Movement, the ‘FIT INDIA’ Movement is yet another endeavour to involve citizens of the
country to make India a fit nation. The Fit India Campaign was organized to encourage fitness. The
plan includes Fit India Thematic - “Fitness ka doze, adha ghanta roz”, fitness assesment through Fit
India App and Fit India Cyclothon with an aim to reach masses by mobilizing employees of Railways
across the country. Events/activities in which railway employees and their families were asked to
participate and variuos events organised for others also. Zonal Railways were also asked by the
Ministry to carry out promotion campaign on digital platforms and through 10 second fitness videos
of their staff on social media.
The Cycle Rally is part of the ‘FIT INDIA’ movement which includes Thematic Campaign, fitness
assessment through ‘FIT INDIA’ App and ‘FIT INDIA’ Cyclothon. . The main objective of this
campaign is to inculcate a sense of physical fitness through different physical activities amongst the
people in their daily lives.

Cyclothon by EAST COAST RAILWAY Sports Association to Mark ‘Fit India’ Movement
J oining the clarion call of Honorable Prime
Minister ‘Fitness Ka Dose Aadha Ghanta Roz’,
Fit India Cyclothon has been organized by East
Coast Railway Sports Association to mark ‘Fit
India’ Movement. East Coast Railway General
Manager Shri Vidya Bhushan flagged off the
Cyclothon at ECoR Headquarters, Rail Sadan in
presence of Additional General Manager Shri
Sudhir Kumar and other principal heads of
departments of ECoR. Shri Gautam Dutta, Principal
Chief Mech Engineer and President, ECoRSA led
the cyclothon team in which number of senior
railway officials, and Sports personalities
participated. Shri Ashoka Kumar Mishra, Dy.
General Manager and Gen. Secy, ECoRSA
coordinated the programme.

22 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

s Protocols and Guidelines for 5-18 Years Fitness Protocols and Guidelines for 65+ Years

Participation of NORTH CENTRAL RAILWAY SPORTS ASSOCIATION

in Fit India Freedom Run Initiative
On 5th September, 2020, ‘Run and Walk’ activity
was organised by NCR Sports Association in
Railgaon, Subedarganj Stadium. President, NCRSA
& Principal Chief Engineer, Shri Sharad Mehta
addressed the occasion and briefed about the
initiative among the participants. He also promoted
the concept of fitness while observing social dista­
ncing norms. The event witnessed participation by
sportspersons of NCR from various sports disciplines
– Gymnastics, Hockey, Cricket, Badminton, Golf,
Football, and by NCRSA officials. The ‘Fit India
Freedom Run’ is being organized to encourage
better health and to overcome health problems like
obesity, lethargy, stress, and anxiety etc. for a
disease free society. The unique concept behind this
‘Fit India Freedom Run’ campaign is that ‘it can be
done by anyone from anywhere and anytime!’. convenience, physical ability and condition of health
Under this campaign, any person can choose the etc. Under the ‘Fit India’ campaign, the organizers
location and time according to his or her choice, and the individuals involved in it have been advised
to organize their events following the rules of social
distancing and encourage the ‘virtual run’ which is
being used by runners / walkers across the globe.
‘Virtual run’ works in the same way as any other
type of running, but under ‘virtual running’ the
race is recorded by the runners / walkers at any
place and at any speed, on the treadmill in the
house or anywhere else. Only thing that is to be
ensured is that you have to participate in a race as
per your convenience and to make sure that it is
completed.
Participants of this campaign can use ‘Fit India’
website or the platform being provided by different
organizers. Particulars of run can be uploaded by
the individuals on the website and certificate of
participation can be downloaded.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 23

NORTH CENTRAL RAILWAY Actively Participating in Fit India Campaign
O n 12th December,
2020, a fitness camp
was organised by NCR
Sports Association in
Rail­gaon, Subedarganj
Stadium. President,
NCRSA & Principal
Chief Engineer Shri
Sharad Mehta welcomed
all participants on this
occasion and briefed on
im­portance of fitness in
our daily life and benefits
of this initiative. Under
the ‘Fit India’ campaign
a schedule of physical
exercise in­cluding
running, walking and
stretching has been
designed by experts for
railway employees and
their family members
inline with theme of this
ca­mpaign ‘Fitness Ka Dose Aadha Ghanta Roz’ The event witnessed participation by Shri
( ). Ajai Mathur, Principal financial advisor and
All officers, staff and their family members Shri Navin Kumar Sinha, Sr. Deputy General
present on this occasion were imparted training on Manager other Heads of departments, General
these exercises by expert coaches of NCR sports Secretary NCRSA Shri Ankur Chandra, Joint
association. Shri Sharad Mehta, President NCRSA secretary Shri Vijay Kumar, sports­persons of NCR
further instructed the coaches to continue guiding from various sports disciplines – Athletics,
officers and staff and their family members and Gymnastics, Hockey, Cricket, Badminton, Golf,
en­couraged everyone to increase parti­cipation in Football and other Railway employees and officials
this important fitness initiative. on NCRSA.

24 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

Fit India Cyclothon Programme Held in NORTHEAST FRONTIER RAILWAY

Shri Anshul Gupta, GM/NFR flagging off the Fit India Cyclothon programme

A s part of the nationwide initiative under ‘Fit

India’ Movement launched by the Ministry of
Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt of India, series of
Manager of N.F. Railway Shri Anshul Gupta in
presence of Shri Rajendra Prasad Jingar, President
of NFRSA apart from all participants and well
activities and events are being held starting from wishers.
7th to 31st December 2020. A ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ He advised all participants about the need to
progra­mme was held on 12 December, 2020 at the remain fit in today’s hectic life schedules. He also
NFRSA (N.F. Railway Sports Association) complex, mentioned about the clarion call given by the
Maligaon in connection with the initiative. Hon’ble Prime Minister of our country ‘fiQVusl dk Mkst
The programme was flagged off by the General & vk/k ?kaVk jkst’ to all the countrymen.

Fit India Cyclothon Organized on North Western Railway

was organized on North Western
Railway Head­ quarters, Jaipur
Division and Udaipur City of Ajmer
Division, in which a large number
of railway officers and employees
participated enthusiastically.
At headquarters level, the Fit
India Cyclothon was organized by
the North Western Railway Sports
Association, which was flagged off
by Shri Anand Prakash, General
Manager, North Western Railway.
Shri Prakash himself took part in
this Cyclothon and gave the mantra
to rejoice with health among other
railway officers and employees. He
said that through cycling we can

F it India Cyclothon was organized at North

Western Railway Officers Club, Jagatpura. The
event was being organized under the Fit India
also follow social distancing during the time of
Covid-19. Smt. Yasha Prakash - President,
North Western Railway Women's Welfare
Mission. About 100 railway officers and employees Organization, Shri Sudhir Gupta - Principal Chief
participated enthusiastically in this event. Mechanical Engineer, Shri Satish Kumar - Senior
Fit India Cyclothon was being organized from Deputy General Manager, Shri Vivek Gupta -
December 7 to December 31 under ‘Fit India General Secretary, Sports Association and other
Mission’ as per the instructions of Ministry of railway officials and employees participated in the
Railways. In this series, the Fit India Cyclothon event.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 25

Fit India Cyclothon by SOUTHERN RAILWAY
President, Southern Railway
Women’s Wefare Organisation.
Around 100 cycling
enthusiasts including the
General Manager and Addl
General Manager took part in
the Cyclothon in batches, cycling
from Sterling Road, College
Road, Haddows Road, Loyola
College and back to Railway
Officers Club..
Speaking during the flagging
off Programme, Shri John
Thomas, General Manager,
Southern Railway said that this
cyclothon was organised as part
of the ‘FIT INDIA’ Campaign
and encouraged the younger
generation to take up cycling to

T he ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ organised by the

Southern Railway Sports Association (SRSA) at
the Railway Officers Club premises in
keep fit as it is very important to keep fit especially
during the pandemic.
Earlier, Shri B.G.Mallya Additional General
Nungambakkam was flagged off by Shri John Manager, and President, SRBSG, released the
Thomas, General Manager,
Southern Railway in the
presence of Shri B.G. Mallya,
Addl General Manager,
Southern Railway, Smt V.G.
Bhooma, Senior Deputy
General Manager, Southern
Railway, and President of
SRSA, and other officials.
A large number of Officers
and their family members
participated in the event,
including Dr Bina John,
President, Southern Railway
Women’s Welfare Organisation
and Smt Renuka Mallya, Vice

T-Shirt for the event for the

Scouts and stressed on the
importance of spending atleast
30 minutes on a fitness regimen.
The Cycle Rally is part of the
‘Fit India’ movement which
includes Thematic Campaign,
fitness assessment through Fit
India App and Fit India
Cyclothon. Participants can also
take Fitness Videos of their
choice for 10 seconds and upload
it on the Digital Platforms of the
Ministry.

26 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

General Manager NORTHERN RAILWAY Inaugurates Fit India Cyclothon at
Karnail Singh Stadium
A s part of ‘Fit India’ movement, Northern
Railway Sports Association (NRSA)
organised ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ at Karnail
Singh Stadium, New Delhi on 2nd January,
2021. General Manager, Northern Railway
and Patron, NRSA Shri Ashutosh Gangal,
presided over the cyclothon event. On the
occasion Shri Ashutosh Gangal also
inaugurated the newly constructed 5 cricket
practice pitches. Flood lights have also
been installed around these pitches which
will help players to practice in night also.
Thus, Karnail Singh stadium has now
become a national level cricket stadium
where Ranji Trophy matches are also being
organized.
Speaking on this occasion, Shri
Ashutosh Gangal said that, Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has given the slogan of 'Fitness their fitness.” The upcoming Boxing hall, Multi­
ka Dose, Aadha Ghanta Roz' whose aim is that purpose hall and renovated rooms will help in orga­
every Indian citizen should dedicate half an hour nizing several games at one place simultaneously.
every day to his health. “By keeping ourselves fit, Further, NRSA, in future, has also planned all-
we can defeat the Covid pandemic.” General weather swimming pool, flood lighting in the cricket
Manager further said, “Seeing the level of stadium and new weightlifting hall which will help
participation, I can say that our officers and emplo­ in estab­li­shing Karnail Singh Stadium as a sports
yees are energetic and have awareness towards hub.

Fit India Cyclothon Organised by SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY

Garden Reach on 13th December,
2020. Shri Sanjay Kumar Mohanty,
General Manager, South Eastern
Railway and Chief Patron, SERSA
(South Eastern Railway Sports
Association) inaugurated the event in
presence of Shri Anupam Sharma,
Addl. Gen Manager, South Eastern
Railway and a host of senior Railway
Officers, staff and their family
members.
Altogether more than 100 cyclists
took part in the CYCLOTHON event
along with nationally and
internationally reputed sports
persons of SERSA. The Cycle rally
starting from BNR Officers’ Club
moved 4 times around the

‘A s a part of the Fit India campaign, an event

of 'Cyclothon' under the auspices of South
Eastern Railway Sports Association was organized
large campus of SER Headquarters covering about
5 kms.
Participants wearing face masks maintained
at the South Eastern Railway headquarters, physical distancing during action in the event.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 27

Fit India Movement at RDSO

A Prabhat Pheri was organised in RDSO on 17th

December, 2020 by adhering the gui­de­lines of
Covid-19. Offi­cers, staff & their families participated
400mt friendly running were organised in RDSO
on 20 December, 2020 by adhering the guidelines
of Covid-19. Shri Virendra Kumar, Director General
in this Prabhat Pheri to along with Officers &
spread the message of staff and their family
“ vk/k ?kaVk members have
jkst+” by means of participated in these
banners, placards & activities. Around 100
slogans. Around 60 persons were
persons including participated in these
children assembled in events. Smt. Namrata
this event and spread Kumar President,
the message of fitness RDSO Women Welfare
in RDSO premises. Association and other
In the continuation members of the
of activities under the association were also
aegis of Fit India present during these
Movement a Cyclothon events.
were organized in Shri. Virendra
RDSO on 19th Dec, 2020. Around 40 persons Kumar, Director General has facilitated the
participated in this event and spread the message Awardess. Shri. Brijesh Kumar, Shri Shoorvir
of fitness in RDSO premises, Shri. Gautam Sahu Singh & Shri. Suryansh have secured 1st position
has secured 1st position, Shri. Brijesh 2nd position and Smt. Priyanka, Shri Aman & Shri Vaibhav
& Shri S.S Chauhan 3rd position during this have secured 2nd position in Cyclothon. All other
Cyclothon. participants have also awarded with consolation
In the series of activities, a Cyclothon and prize.

28 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 CENTRAL NEWS

Shri Anshul Gupta Joins as the General Manager of NFR

S hri Anshul Gupta, an officer of
Indian Railway Service of Signal
Engineers from UPSC’s 1984 batch
capably worked in various roles
including operations
maintenance of Railways Signal &
and

joined as the General Manager of Telecom systems, undertaking of

N.F. Railway on 1st December, 2020 projects of Modernisation of
following approval of the Appointments Signalling and Telecom Systems,
Com­ mittee of the Cabinet in this Vendor and Product Development in
regard. Prior to this he was working the field of Railway Signalling and
as the Additional Member (Signal), Telecomm­unication Systems,
Railway Board, New Delhi. Earlier he quality inspections for the Material
has also worked as Additional General manufa­ ctured for Railways req­
Manager, West Central Railway, uirement etc. He has been
Jabalpur and Principal Executive Director instrumental in development of suitable policies
(Signal), Railway Board. He had also worked as for intro­duction and absorption of modern
the Divisional Railway Manager of Delhi Division Signalling systems on Indian Railways, especially
of Northern Railway, Adra Division of South indigenously developed TCAS (Train Collision
Eastern Railway and also looked after the charge Avoidance System).
of the DRM of Ranchi Division of South Eastern Shri Gupta has also done Post Graduate
Railway. course in Public Policy from MDI, Gurgaon and
Shri Gupta has a very successful career in George Mason University, Virginia, where he
service life. He has completed Masters of wrote a thesis on ‘Development of Integrated
Engineering in Computer and Information Sciences Logistic System for Dedicated Freight Corridor
with specialization in Artificial Intelligence from for Indian Railways’. He has a wide experience of
the prestigious Indian Institute of Sciences, presenting technical papers at International
Bangalore. After joining Indian Railways he has levels.

Dr. Anand S. Khati – Director General (Human Resources), Railway Board

D r. Anand S. Khati is a senior Civil in Leadership (University of
Servant (Indian Railway California, Berkley), Global
Personnel Service (IRPS) 1983 batch), Leadership Programme (Kellogg
currently working as Director General Business School), Advance Executive
(Human Resources). He has acquired Programme (Rotman Business
qualifications like B.Sc., M.Sc., MBA School), Advance Management
(Enterprises Management), AMP Programme (Bocconi Business
(Global), AMP (International), LLB, School, Connecticut Business School,
PhD (Transport Management). He ESCP-EA), Paris), National
has diverse experience of working in Management Programme (MDI).
senior positions i.e. Sr. Divisional He wrote many books such as
Personnel Officer, Sr. EDP Manager, Encyclopedia Indica, ‘National Parks
Deputy General Manager, Chief Personnel of India’, ‘Jim Corbett of India’, ‘Indian National
Officer, Executive Director, Principal Executive Parks and Sanctuaries’, ‘Transport and Climate
Director and Additional Member, Director Change' (under publication).
General/Health Services (L/A) in Indian Railways. During course of his professional career, he
Member Secretary, Earth Commission and has travelled worldwide and visited all seven
Member, Earth System Science Organization, continents including Arctic & Antarctica.
Governing Council and Finance Committee
Member of IITM, NIOT, INCOIS, NCAOR, Dr Anand S. Khati joined as DG/HR in
CMLRE, NCESS. Railway Board in September 2020. The news
He has undergone Leaders in Development was not inadvertently published at that
Programme (Harvard University), Negotiations time. The omission is sincerely regretted.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 29

 SUBSCRIPTION FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS MAGAZINE
Revised Subscription Fee of Indian Railways /Bhartiya Rail
Magazines (w.e.f. from 1st October, 2020)
Offline Online
Items
Subscription Fee (in ` ) * Subscription Fee (in ` ) **

Price/Monthly issue 20 Not available

Price/Annual issue 70 Not available
One year 250 263
Annual Subscription
Two years 460 483
(Inland)/Non-Railwaymen
Three years 675 709
One year 200 210
Annual Subscription
Two years 370 389
(Inland)/ Railwaymen
Three years 540 567
Annual Subscription (Overseas) by Sea mail 1250 1313
Annual Subscription (Overseas) by Air mail 2500 2625

Subscription Fee includes cost of Annual Issue

Mode of Payment
* i)  Money Order/IPO/DD in favour of Business Manager, Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan, Raisina Road,
New Delhi-110001
ii)  Cash to be deposited in Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan, Raisina Road, New Delhi-110001
** Online through IRCTC Portal (http://www.irctctourism.com/IRBRMag)
For new subscription and queries contact: For non-receipt of magazines/change of address/any
Business Manager, 011-47845378, and 45378 (Rly) other query
email : [email protected]. Contact over 011- 47845380 (P&T), (Rly : 45380)

ENQUIRY TIME : 2.30 pm to 5.00 p.m. on working days

#   #

SUBSCRIPTION FORM
For Renewal write your Subscription No.. .............................
Are You A Railway Employee : YES /NO

Dear Sir,
Please enrol me as a new subscriber/renew my subscription for the INDIAN RAILWAYS
MAGAZINE (English) for 1 Year / 2 Years / 3 Years. I am sending the annual subscription of
`. ...................... by MO/IPO/DD. ..................................... in favour of Business Manager, Indian
Railways.
Name (All Caps) _____________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
State ____________________ Pin Code ____________________ Mobile No. ____________

Email ____________________

Signature

30 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 INFOGRAPHICS
Revamped & Upgraded IRCTC website &
Mobile App: Enhancing Services to serve better
ll Improved payment pages for easy selection.
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor brings new
Vistas of Opportunities for Local Industries

ll Prompt for review of journey.

ll Cache system to give current status with

accuracy and faster speeds.

Objectives of Dedicated Freight Corridor

• Reduce Cost of Transportation
Railways taking Freight to New Heights with
• Connect Ports with Industrial Areas
Freight Business Development Portal
• Facilitate Heavy Haul trains and Double Stack
Containers
• Transfo­rming supply chain with technology
• Enhancing Ease of Doing Business • Increase Rail share in Goods transport to 45%
• Increasing transparency and convenience.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 31

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off Entering into Next Year with Remarkable Growth:
Freight train between New Bhaupur-New Khurja Railways' freight loading grew consistently in the
on 29th December, 2020. It opens up new avenues challenging year of COVID. Average speed of
of freight transport. Increases Speed of Goods train freight trains increased by 82% during April-
and Decongest Kanpur-Delhi Rail line. December period this fiscal as compared to the
same period last year.

100th Kisan Rail was flagged off by Hon’ble Prime

Minister of India on 28th December, 2020.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi flagged off

World's first electric loco hauled double stack
1.5km long container freight trains from New
Ateli-New Kishangarh on 7th January, 2021.

32 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

PICTURE GALLERY
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways held a
meeting on 12th January, 2021 with GMs of Zonal
Railways to review progress of important projects
Ease of doing
business with
& discussed ways to complete them in an efficient Railway gets a
& time-bound manner. Govt is committed to make solid boost.
Indian Railways future-ready by upgrading Shri Piyush
infrastructure & embracing new technologies. Goyal,
Minister of
Railways
launched
Indian
Railways’
Freight
Business
Development
Portal.

Experience the ineffable charm of UNESCO-listed Indian Railways boosting Exports : Indian Railways
Nilgiri Mountain Railway! Look forward to your loaded 25 wagons of tractors from Vadiapatti in
sojourn on the picturesque Blue mountains - NMR Tamil Nadu to Benapole in Bangladesh. India with
services (SR) resumed from 31st December, 2020! its superior & competitive agricultural technology
and equipment is emerging as a key supplier to the
world

Illuminated view of Dabhoi Railway Station

inaugurated on 17th January, 2021.
Nurturing creativity !
Shri Jangiraman,
Trackman of
Somanayakkaatti
section in South
Western Railway, has
portrayed his art using
walls of Track
Maintainer Rest Room
as canvas. His ability to
beautify work place in a
unique way is
commendable.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 33

North Eastern Railway is poised to double the Risking your life is no fun! Haste at level crossings
freight loading by 2024. In this series, 125 is risky. Wait for the gate at the level crossing to
automobiles have been transported from Haldi open and cross only once it opens.
Road station (NER) to Benapole, Bangladesh.

Tapping the Solar Energy: Indian Railways has

undertaken several green initiatives like
installation of solar panels on major Railway
stations and Railway buildings across the country.
Have a look at Solar panels installed at Mata Shri
An Engineering Marvel: The Anji Bridge, Indian Vaishno Devi Katra station.
Railways' first Cable stayed Bridge, is coming up
on Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link
(USBRL) section of Northern Railway in Jammu
& Kashmir.

Indian Railway launched ‘Smart Sahelee’ for

women commuters safety on suburban system in
Mumbai. To attain the target of zero crime against
women, it provides a holistic security net to build
confidence among women commuters of suburban
services on Central Railway.

To meet urgent requirement of customers, East

Coast Railway (ECOR) has launched first of its
kind, Priority Freight Train Movement Scheme
(PFTMS) in ECOR jurisdiction. The customer will
be guaranteed with target transit time. The scheme
is applicable to all commodities.

Record Trans­portation
of Milk: Doodh Duronto
Special crosses 5 Crore
Litres mark.
Introduced by South
Central Railway
during lockdown, the
train has been supp­
lying Milk to NCR
region from Renigunta,
Andhra Pradesh.

34 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

02311/02312 Howrah - Kalka mail renamed as Netaji express.

Amazing Sight: The ineffable charm of Steam Despite pandemic, Rail Wheel Factory (RWF)
Locomotives has transcended the barriers of time! manufactured 28496 wheelsets in last five months
Catch a glimpse of the illuminated metre gauge i.e., from Aug to Dec '2020, which is 15% higher
steam loco at DRM office, Hubballi. The loco has when compared to wheelset production in five
served in Londa-Castlerock-Mormugao Harbour months before lock down i.e., 24,767 Nos. produced
section. from Oct'19 to Feb 2020.

Seamless connectivity to Kempegowda International

Airport: Indian Railways begins operations at
Bengaluru Airport Halt Station. It will bring tre­
me­ndous relief to air passengers & airport employees Efficient Utilisation of Resources: Indian Railways
by enabling convenient, swift & cost-effective travel. provided its vacant land near Bogibeel bridge in
Assam for the creation of facilities for a floating
restaurant. This will help in boosting eco-tourism
in the region.

A selfie point installed at Udagamandalam

station of Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil
Nadu has been attracting tourists to capture
their selfies. The structure gives more
opportunities to make pleasant.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 35

 OUR UNSUNG HEROES
SHRI UMESH CH YADAV
Gateman, Lucknow
Shri Umesh Ch Yadav, Gateman/Lucknow, while
Lady Constable on duty at LC-7C on the night of 8th Dec, 2020
LAKHANBAI MEENA noticed smoke coming out of the axles of the 4th
Tollygung Post, wagon from the engine side of the Goods Train No.
Metro Railway, Kolkata UP-KNZ. Shri Yadav immediately alerted Station
Master/Alamnagar. The Goods train was stopped
On 14th January, 2021 at about 09.25 hrs, an on- at Alamnagar Yard. On examination by the Driver
duty RPF staff at Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station and TXR staff, the wagon was declared Hot Axle
found a bag lying unclaimed on passenger’s chair and was detached from the train. Thus Shri Umesh
in the station’s UP Platform and it was brought to Ch Yadav, through his alertness, averted a major
the RPF post of this station. After opening the bag accident on that night.
in front of all RPF officials, several bearer cheques
amounting to `1,43,299, one ATM card, one Aadhar SHRI SATYA PAL SINGH
card, one Voter card, one Pan Card, one money purse Loco Pilot, Delhi
and agreement papers of building constructions Shri Satya Pal Singh, Loco Pilot, Delhi, was on
were found therein. A mobile number was also duty on Train No. 05909 on the night of 9 Dec.,
found from the money purse con­taining in the bag. 2020. The train left Narendrapura stn at around
The mobile number was dialled and the owner was 8-50 P.M. At Km 237, when the train was moving
contacted. He came to the RPF post. After proper at a speed of 25 KMPH, Shri Singh noticed a rail
verification and observing all official formalities, the fracture of 990 mm lengh. He immediately applied
bag was handed over to him. He expressed his the emergency brake to stop the train and informed
heartfelt gratitude to the RPF officials for recovery the Station Master/ Narendrapura and TLC/NDLS
of his bag. of the position. The fracture was rectified and thus
a possible mishap was thus averted.

SHRI NANDLAL
SHRI RAMESH KUMAR GUPTA
Trackman, Rajpura
Loco Pilot, Bareli
Shri Nandlal, Trackman, Rajpura while on duty on Shri Ramesh Kumar Gupta, Loco Pilot, Bareli
19.08.2020 at gate No. 133-C suddenly noticed while on duty on 21.12.2020 on Train No. 02219
smoke coming out of a wagon of Train No T-NPSB/ suddenly felt a jerk as the train ran past Bhitora
BOXN that was passing through the UP line. He Rly Stn. He immediately applied brake to bring the
immediately indicated to the working Guard to train to a stop and sent the Astt Loco pilot to the
stop the train. The train was stopped near Gate rear of the train for inspection. Part of the rail was
No. 134-C. It was found that smoke and flame were found fractured, Station Master/Bhitora was
coming out of the left side of the 7th wagon of the informed and the fault was repaired. Thus a major
train. The fire was doused and thus Shri Nandlal, mishap was averted on that night through Shri
through his alertness, averted a major mishap. Gupta’s alertness.

WHO AM I? (You will be able to answer only if you

read the whole magazine thoroughly and
carefully. The answer lies hidden some-
QUESTION FOR THIS MONTH where in its pages. Find out and mail your
answer to:
I am a Green Railway Station in Gujarat [email protected])
with LED lights, sewage treatment plants
and rain water harvesting. In fact, I am the
Correct answer will be given in the next
first Railway station in India to have been
issue of the magazine
registered as "Green Building" by IGBC.
WHO AM I?

36 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

METRO RAILWAY Takes a Step Forward into A Digitally Empowered Society

T o turn the dream of
our Prime Minister
into reality and to tran­
Railway to improve
efficiency and produ­
ctivity of its system. It
sform India into a Di­ will create a big impact
gitally Empowered on the functioning of all
Society, Metro Railway the employees and will
has launched a comp­ make them more tech
letely digitized online savvy. Several modules
Human Resource Mana­ incor­porated in this
gement System (HRMS) system will help the
on the first day of the employees.
new year i.e. 1st January, This will eliminate
2021. the use of stationery and
Human Resource Mana­gement System will also facilitate monitoring and timely processing
(HRMS) is a high thrust project of Metro of settlement of dues of employees.

First Succesfful Trial Run Conducted on the Newly Constructed Noapara-

Dakshineswar Section
B efore opening the
extended stretch of
Noapara-Daks­hine­swar
of North-South Metro
for the common people,
the first trial run on
Noapara – Daks­ hine­
swar extended stretch
of North-South Metro
was conducted sm­
oothly on 23rd December,
2020. This trial run
started from Noapara
at 10.30 a.m. Shri
Manoj Joshi, General Manager, Metro Railway, was neswar, Shri Joshi inspected the platforms, conco­
present during this trial run. He insp­ected the urse, entry and exit gates, circulating area, lifts,
entire stretch from Noapara to Dakshi­neswar via escalators and other passenger amenities pr­ovided
Baranagar from the Driving Motorman’s cab both at this station. Senior Officers of Metro Rail­way
in UP and DN directions. After reaching Da­kshi­ and RVNL were present in this trial run.

65th Railway Week Celebration Held through Virtual Medium on NORTH CENTRAL RLY.
O n 30th December, 2020, 65th annual Railway
Week Award function was organized at the
North Central Railway Headquarters office. In this
Center was also inaugurated in the North Central
Railway Head­ quarters by the General Manager,
Shri Rajiv Chaudhry. Through this central control
award function organised through virtual medium, center 24x7 monitoring of 24 stations of North
Railway week awards were given to 170 officers Central Railway equipped with CCTVs can be
and employees for outstanding work by General done.This integrated system will be helpful towards
Manager North Central Railway Shri Rajiv an enhanced passenger safety.
Chaudhry. Prior to the ceremony, the newly On this occasion, General Manager Shri Rajiv
established Zonal Video Surveillance Control Choudhry, greeted president and members of

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 37

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

65th Railway Week Celebration Held on North Central Railway

NCRWWO, all the senior officials, union and Medical Shield, Freight Operation Shield, Safety
association officials and all officers and employees Shield, Passenger Safety Shield, Scrapmobilization
of North Central Railway on the auspicious occasion Shield, Public Relations and comprehensive
of 65th Railway Week celebration. Improvement Shield etc. Agra division was awarded
He said that that ‘Railway Week’ is a time to Commerce Shield, Bridge Shield, Rolling Stock
imbibe the launch, upliftment and dignified Efficiency Shield, Safety Efficiency Shield, Signal
development of Indian Railways. In 167 years of its Efficiency Shield, Sports Shield while Prayagraj
journey, Indian Railways has made a continuous division was given Telecomm­unication Efficiency
and active contribution to the overall development Shield, punctuality impro­ vement Shield, Best
of the country. Human resource is the most Coaching Rake, Best Coaching Depot, General
important resource and occupies the top and most Service & Energy Efficiency Shield, Running Room
important place in any organization. Shield and Overall Engineering Efficiency Shield.
In view of Covid-19 situation, except for HQ Rail Spring Karkhana, Sithouli was given Best
awardees, all awards and the running shields to account unit (workshop) Shield and MLR Workshop,
the railway personnel working in divisions and Jhansi was awarded the overall workshop Efficiency
other units were given through virtual medium. Shield. Etawah got best cleaned station award and
Jhansi division bagged the shields for Best Division, Jhansi got best station certificate. Central Hospital,
Best accounts office, Work Horticulture Shield, Prayagraj got Best Hospital Shield, Subedarganj
Rail Track Shield, Construction Department Health Center got Best Health unit Shield and
Efficiency Shield, Electric Loco Shed Shield, General Warehousing Depot, Jhansi was awarded
Traction Distribution Shield, Inter Divisional the Efficiency Shield.

Writers and Contributors

Writers are invited to contribute articles on subjects like

SHORT STORIES, TOURISM, HEALTH, YOGA, CINEMA,

GARDENING, MEDITATION, COOKING, SPORTS, FAMOUS
PLACES ABROAD, TREKKING etc.
in 800-1000 words/poems/quiz/puzzles.
Relevant pictures along with article may be sent
only on Email ID [email protected]
A suitable remun­
eration shall be paid after its publication. –Editor

38 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

General Manager Flagged off First LHB POH Coach from CMLR Jhansi

General Manager Shri Rajiv Chaudhry flagged off first LHB POH coach from CMLR Jhansi

O n 16th December, 2020, General Manager Shri

Rajiv Chaudhry flagged off first LHB coach no.
163441 (General Class) after Periodic Overhauling
only SS-I schedule of LHB coaches was being done
by coaching depots of North Central Railway and
for SS-II and POH/SS-III attention, LHB coaches
(POH) at Coach Midlife Rehabilitation (CMLR) had to be sent to Ajmer, Gorakhpur and other work­
workshop Jhansi. Besides trip attention on washing shops. Attention in foreign railway workshop used
lines, LHB coaches require major maintenance to take extra transit time in sending and receipt of
inputs at every 18, 36 and 72 months of operation coaches adversely affecting availa­bility of fit coaches
which are termed as Shop Schedule-I(SS-I), Shop required for important originating passenger trains
Schedule-II(SS-II) and Shop Schedule-III(SS-III) or of North Central Railway. Successful POH/SS-III
POH. These major maintenance inputs are extremely attention of LHB coach at NCR’s workshop at Jhansi
essential for optimum performance of LHB coaches is an important milestone which will go a long way
w.r.t safety and comfort of passengers. Hitherto in efficient passenger train operation on this Rly.

General Manager Inaugurated Automatic Coach Washing Plant in Agra and

Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Jhansi

Automatic Coach Washing plant in Agra Automatic Coach Washing plant in Agra

I n a virtual inauguration function held on 26th

December, 2020 through video conferencing,
General Manager Shri Rajiv Chaudhry inaugurated
conservation, North Central Railway has made
pioneering efforts in this direction through insta­
llation of STPs and ETPs, digging of ponds, rain
Automatic Coach washing Plant installed at coach water harvesting, water con­su­mption auditing and
maintenance depot Agra Cantt. and Plug and Play other conse­ rvation measures. Installed water
type packaged Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) recycling capacity over North Central Railway is
installed near Jhansi station. approximately 25 lakhs liters per day and this
Automatic coach washing plant installed at railway could recycle more than 15 Crores liters
washing line Agra Cantt. is equipped with 12 stages water in the last one year. North Central Railway
automatic exterior coach washing units for superior HQ office complex is a net zero discharge unit and
and uniform cleaning. With keen interest of recycles 100 % waste water through similar
General Manager Shri Rajiv Chaudhry in water packaged plug and play type STP.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 39

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

General Manager Inaugurated Synthetic Badminton Court and Open-Air Gymnasium in

Railgaon Colony Subedarganj
O n 22nd December, 2020 General Manager Shri
Rajiv Chaudhry inaugurated 02 newly const­
ructed synthetic flooring Badminton courts in NCR
HQ colony. Smt. Lalita Chaudhry president
NCRWWO, President North Central Railway
sports association and PCE NCR Shri Shrad Mehta,
other PHODs of NCR, secretary and members of
NCRWWO and officials from NCR sports association
and spo­rts­men were present in this function held
in sports complex Railgaon colony Subedarganj.
Addressing on this occasion Shri Chaudhry General Manager Shri Rajiv Chaudhry inaugurated Synthetic
congratulated sportsmen of NCR for their outstanding Badminton Court and Open-Air Gymnasium
performance at various sports arenas. He also
commended sports asso­ ciation for development of has been very popular among railway employees
synthetic badminton court and other activities for and North Central Railway is also considering
promotion of sports over NCR. Shri Chaudhry also similar facility in Central Railway Hospital Prayagraj
advised on precautions to be taken against Covid-19 for benefit of patients as well as medical staff there.
while participating in di­fferent sports events. Inaugural program of sports facilities was coor­
The General Manager also inaugurated an dinated by General Secretary NCRSA Shri Ankur
open-air gymnasium in Mahadevi Park in Railgaon Chandra and Joint Seceratry Shri Vijaya Kumar.
colony. This on-field facility for residents of Railway Followed by this, General Manager Shri Rajiv
colony is equipped with multiple fitness and exercise Chaudhry and President NCRWWO Smt. Lalita
equipment to suit varied needs of different age Chaudhry distributed tricycles and bicycles to
groups. A similar facility created in December 2019 railway employees and their wards. Under this ini­
tiative 4 tricycles to differently abled railway em­
œœ GM Shri Rajiv Chaudhry and President
ployees and 48 bicycles to girl children of railway
NCRWWO Smt. Lalita Chaudhry
employees studying in class 6 to class 8 were dis­
distributed tricycles and bicycles to
tributed from Staff benefit fund (SBF) of North
Railway employees and their wards
Central Railway.

Passing-out Parade of 2nd batch of 248 Lady Constable Recruits of RPF organised
O n 07th December, 2020, passing-out parade of
2nd batch of 248 lady constable recruits of
Railway Protection Force was organised at zonal
training centre Subedarganj. The passing-out
parade of the 2nd batch of zonal training institute

RPF passing out Parade

and first lady batch of 248 constable recruits of

RPF was organised on 7th December, 2020 in the
gracious presence of Additional Director General,
RPF passing out Parade Railway Protection Force Dr. Anoop Shrivastava at

40 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS
RPF Zonal Training Centre Subedarganj Prayagraj. function organised at zonal training institute, ADG
On this occasion, a total of 248 lady constable RPF also honoured trainees Ms. Nirmala, Ms.
recruits, including 19 of North Central Railway, 59 Sangeeta Natwaria, Ms.Priyanka Rana and Ms.
of Central Railway, 97 of Northern Railway, 02 of Anita Ola for their outstanding performance in
North Eastern Railway, 22 of North Western training program.
Railway, 47 of Western Railway and 03 of West Addressing on this occasion, Additional Director
Central Railway successfully completed 09 months General congratulated all tra­ inees as well as
rigorous training program and formally became officials of RPF zonal training centre Subedarganj
part of the Railway Protection Force by taking part for successful conduct of training program despite
in the passing out parade. ongoing Covid-19 challenges. He also said that
On this occasion, Additional Director General, formal induction of these lady RPF personnel in
Railway Protection Force Dr. Anoop Shrivastava protection force will strengthen secu­
rity
inspected the parade of lady recruits and took the arrangements and women pas­ se­ngers will get a
salute. All 248 trainees were also sworn-in on the more secure travel environment. Dr. Srivastava
occasion. The commander of the parade was Ms. wished successful future to all RPF recruits and
Anita Ola and led the passing out trainees in 08 motivated them to discharge their responsibilities
Platoons (Platoon-1 Commander-Trainee Mohini sincerely. Principal Chief Safety Commissioner,
Yadav, Platoon-2 Commander-Trainee Sonia, North Central Railway Shri Ravindra Verma, DRM,
Platoon-3 Commander-Trainee Khushboo, Platoon-4 Prayagraj Shri Mohit Chandra, PHoDs of North
Commander - Trainee Suman Kuntal, Platoon-5 Central Railway, Principal zonal Railway Protection
Commander-Trainee K. Nirmala, Platoon-6 Force Training Centre, Shri Sanjay Pise and other
Commander-Trainee Madhu Kumari, Platoon-7 officials were also present in this passing-out function
Commander-Trainee Seema Bandewar and Platoon-8 The program was conducted by RPF Inspector Ms.
Commander-Trainee Chinu Nagar. During the Suruchi Sharma and Inspector Shri Anil Dubey.

NORTHEAST FRONTIER RAILWAY : 14 Suspected Illegal Foreigners detained by RPF

I ndian Railway’s Toll Free Security Helpline no
182 proved to be very effective leading to
detention of 14 suspected Foreign Nationals who
had entered India illegally and were undertaking
journey by train.
Railway Protection Force personnel of
Alipurduar received a call from one train passenger
on the Security Helpline No 182 regarding misbe­
haviour by some passengers of train no 02501
Agartala-New Delhi Special Rajdhani Express on
24th November, 2020.
The officers and staff of RPF and GRP from
New Jalpaiguri checked the said train after its
arrival at New Jalpaiguri.
During checking 14 passengers who boarded
the train from Badarpur were detected by the TS
(Train Superintendent) of the train of not having
any legal document / Identity cards of being Indian
Citizens.
The ticket details revealed that they were
travelling on fake identity i.e. tickets generated in
the name of others. During interrogation, it was
found that all of them have repo­rtedly fled from the
‘Refugee Camp of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh’ and
entered India.
Disclaimer : The contents of the advertisements published in the Indian Railways Magazine belong to the Organisation
or their representatives. This Magazine is in no way responsible for any liability arising out of the contents/
text of these advertisements.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 41

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

Steps taken by NFR for Better Customer Interface resulted into easier and increased
freight transportation to Boost Local Economy
In order to improve transportation of freight
traffic, NFR has been opening new stations for
handling inward and outward goods traffic. Few
getting in touch with existing and likely trans­po­
rtation agencies to know the actual need of various
industries. As a result, 76 Parcel vans consisting
more railway stations have been opened for freight FMCG products has been loaded from Azara &
traffic during last month enabling easier transpo­ Changsari to Naharlagun & Agartala during the
rtation of various goods by customers. month of October 2020.
To boost outward freight traffic Damdim station The first Private Freight Terminal (PFT) in
under Alipurduar Jn division has been opened for NFR of M/s Pristine Hindustan Infra-projects Pvt.
handling of goods booking facility for stone chips & Ltd at New Jalpaiguri station under Katihar
boulder traffic w.e.f. 28th October, 2020. Lalabazar division which was opened for permissible inward
Station under Lumding Division has also been traffic w.e.f. 17th September, 2020, has also now
opened for handling Parcel traffic w.e.f. 19th been opened for outward booking of permissible
October, 2020. traffic for a period of 06 month. w.e.f. 29th October,
The Business Development Units (BDU) 2020. This is expected to benefit transporters in a
created in all the five divisions of NFR are regularly big way.

General Manager inaugurated Upgraded

Signalling System
G eneral Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway
inaugurated the upgraded signalling system of
Barua Bamun Gaon station on Tinsukia Division
through video conferencing on 20th November, 2020.
This upgraded signalling system will increase the speed
potential through the station from 40 kmph to 110
kmph and enhance the safety of train running.

Communal Harmony Week Observed in NFR Inauguration of Escalator at New Tinsukia

N ortheast Frontier Railway had observed Com­
munal Harmony Week (National Integration
Railway Junction
Week) to foster and reinforce the strength of public
harmony and national integration. General Manager,
N.F. Railway Shri Sanjive Roy administered the
S hri Rameshwar Teli, Minister of State in the
Ministry of Food Processing Industries inaug­
urated an escalator at platform No.1 of New Tinsukia
pledge at HQ complex to all the officials present for Junction on 20th November, 2020. The installation
settlement of all differences and disputes relating of the escalator will provide better facilities for
to religion, language, region and other political or movement of elderly and Divyang passengers. Shri
economic grievances by peaceful and constitutional Vijay Kumar Mishra, Divisional Railway Manager
means. Similar programs were also held in the was also present in the function.
Divisions and other Railway establishments.

General Manager, N.F. Railway Shri Sanjive Roy admini­

stering pledge on the occasion of Communal Harmony Week Inauguration of escalator at New Tinsukia

42 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

NFR Unloaded Record 1102 Rakes of Freight Carrying Trains during November 2020 to
Maintain Supply of Essential and other Commodities in its Jurisdiction
N ortheast Frontier Railway
has transported more
than 6847 nos. of inbound
being transported regularly to
not only meet the essential
requirement of common
freight trains since beginning people but also to keep the
of the lockdown period i.e. local economic activity of all
from 25th March to 30th the regions going.
November, 2020. Out of this Indian Railways has
1102 freight carrying trains played a very significant role
were unloaded during the in providing its uninterrupted
month of November only Freight carrying train running through NFR zone services for transportation of
which is the highest unloading all essential commodities,
done during a month. This is 35.21% more than lifesaving drugs and medical equipments during
the unloading of freight trains done during the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic.
the corresponding month of last year (815 freight It is evident that huge transportation of
rakes were unloaded in NFR during November 2019). food-grains, POL and other essential and various
Goods like FCI rice, Sugar, Salt, Edible oil, other items by NFR was the main reason for
POL, Food grains, Fodder, Pulses, Fertilizer, Cement, avoiding any scarcity of such items within its
Coal, Stone chips, Iron/Steal, Potato, Onion, Sand, service area during the lock-down period and
Gypsum, Maize, Pulses, Auto, Container etc were beyond.

NFR Takes Measures to Enhance Safety of Train Operations in Winter

N FR has put in place various
measures for ensuring safety
of train operations as the winter
prone locations, NFR has under­
taken vigorous patrolling during
the day and night throughout the
arrives. Maintenance of assets entire track length.
were beefed up to avoid failures Moreover, rail joints and
and to ensure a safe journey. welds are being monitored
During the winter season, railway regularly, De-stressing of the
track tends to contract during sections having Long Welded
night and expand during day Rails are being done, SEJ joints
time. Such sudden change in are being regularly monitored
temperature often leads to and Ultra Sonic Flaw Dete­ction
fracture of rail track which causes is being done to detect defects
major safety related hazards. To Track patrolling works being carried which are not visible to naked
detect fracture in the fracture out by track maintenance staff eyes.

Excellence in Response to COVID-19 :

Southern Railway Bags Silver in SKOCH Awards
S outhern
Railway has
won SILVER in
Participation for the SKOCH award was
initiated by the Commercial branch of Southern
Railway. For participation in the SKOCH Award
the prestigious competition, exhaustive documentation was filed
SKOCH Awards by Southern Railway detailing various activities
under the category undertaken in response to COVID-19. A prese­
of Excellence in ntation was also made elaborating Southern
Response to Railway’s well-devised strategies and multifarious
COVID-19. efforts during COVID-19 involved in running of

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 43

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS
507 Shramik specials, freight services and the 4th place in SKOCH awards under the category
timetabled parcel services for transportation of of Excellence of Governance. Recently, RailMadad,
essential commodities, Special trains to important the grievance redressal portal of Indian Railways
destinations, refurbishing coaches into isolation had won GOLD in SKOCH award under the
faci­lities, in-house ma­king of PPEs, hand sanitizers, category of Excellence in Governance.
masks and various inno­ vative proto­types. The SKOCH award was instituted in the year 2003
valiant fight put up by the Medical branch of that honour people, institutions, projects that go
Southern Railway in saving precious lives af­fected the extra mile to make India a better nation.
by COVID- 19 was also enlisted as part of the SKOCH award inv­olves rigorous process that takes
documentation. into account docume­ntation submitted, Presentation
It is noteworthy that Southern Railway’s Rail made, a transparent voting process at multiple
Dandora App also entered the finals and bagged levels.

SOUTHERN RAILWAY Basketballer Bags Lifetime Achievement Award

from World Women forum
M s. Anithaa Pauldurai, a
basketballer who is pre­
sently working as Chief
Asian
Confederation
Basketball
Cha­
mpionships. Besides, she has
Welfare Inspector/Sports in received Lifetime Achieve­
Southern Railway has been ment Award from Chief
conferred ‘Meenakshi Minister of Tamil Nadu in
Raghavan Lifetime the year 2018 and also has
Achievement International bagged the Honorary
Award’ for outstanding contri­ Doctorate (D.LITT) in the
bution to the field of Sports by field of Sports given by DK
World Women Wing. The International Research
World Women Wing felicitated Foun­ dation, also in 2018.
Ms. Anithaa Pauldurai on the Ms. Anithaa Pauldurai
occasion of its 13th anniversary. brought laurels to the Nation
Ms. Anithaa Pauldurai by winning 4 Gold medals
had played for 18 years (2000- and 2 silver medals in Inter­
17) for Indian National national Champ­ionships,
Women’s Basketball team. besides winning 30 medals
She was the youngest ever to captain Senior including 12 Gold in National Cham­ pionships.
National team at the age of 19. She is the first and Southern Railway congratulates Ms. Anithaa
only Indian Woman to have played nine senior Pauldurai on her remarkable achieve­ ment and
FIBA (Inter­ national Basketball Federation) and contribution to the field of sports.

WESTERN RAILWAY Wins 1st Prize in Energy Conservation in Transportation Sector at

the National Energy Conservation Awards-2020
In continuous efforts to provide clean and green
transportation to its commuters, Western Railway
bagged three prestigious National Energy Conse­
top honour has been given to Western Rly for
significant improvements in energy conservation
by adopting various measures which include :
rvation Awards in 'Transport' and 'Building - Govt ● During 2019-20, Electrification of 664 Rkm was
offices' categories for the year 2020, organised by the done on Western Railway, which is the highest
Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power. on Indian Railways. The introduction of electric
Western Ra­ilway has been awarded the First Prize traction reduces the consumption of Diesel oil
in the Tra­nsportation Ca­te­gory along with First and improves the efficiency of transportation
and Third prize in Buildings Category for DRM’s reducing the carbon footprint.
offices at Bhavnagar and Rajkot respectively. This ● Western Railway is operating 67 regular train

44 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS

Various Energy Conservation initiatives implemented by Western Railway such as airport style energy efficient LED lights
provided at all the stations on WR, state of the art & energy efficient 3 phase Rolling stock with energy regeneration system
during braking and installation of solar plants at roof top & platform coversheds.

pairs with Head-On Generation and stopped the ances are used extensively in office and service
use of Diesel Generator Set for power supply to buildings.
coaches, thus achieving a net saving of about `50 ● Energy-efficient LED lights have been installed
Crores. at all the stations, service buildings & residential
● 8.67 MWp capacity rooftop solar plants have quarters resulting in saving of about `12 crores
been provided at various railway stations, office per annum.
& service buildings. These plants have generated ● Introduction of three-phase technology and
5.47 million units of green energy resulting in a improvement in driving techniques has helped
net saving of `2.25 crores per annum. in 15% improvement in SEC, a net saving of
● Energy-efficient 5-star rated electrical appli­ about `15 crores per annum.

Western Railway sets New Record by Winning Kaul Gold Cup for 29th Time in a Row
W estern Railway has set
a new record by
winning the prestigious
Kaul Gold Cup for the 29th
time in a row for the year
2019-2020. In the General
Body meeting of Railway
Sports Promotion Board
(RSPB) with all zonal
railways, the prestigious
Shri Alok Kansal, General Manager of Western Railway along with other senior officers
trophy was formally given with the prestigious Kaul Gold Cup won by Western Railway for 29th time in a row.
to Western Railway Sports
Association (WRSA) and was received by Shri Alok remarkable achievement. Western Railway has
Kansal, General Manager of Western Railway. GM been winning this cup for the last 28 years. This
Shri Kansal has congratulated all the talented prestigious cup is the symbol of supremacy in
sportspersons and authorities of WR for this sports arena over Indian Railways and as a proud

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 45

 ZONAL RAILWAYS NEWS
pioneer for achieving commendable success in points earned form All India Railway Cham­
various fields, Western Railway has once again pionships and points for winning medals in national/
proved its outstanding performance in the field of international championships are taken into
sports too. It is worthwhile to mention that the consideration for deciding the winner of this cup.

RCF Bids Farewell to the Year 2020 with Record Coach Production
R CF
record
registered a
highest
monthly production and
average daily record
production of LHB
coaches in December
2020. This month RCF
manufactured 154 coaches
with an average daily
pro­
du­ction rate of 5.92.
In November, RCF
manufactured 124
coaches to achieve an
average daily production
rate of 5.9, whereas in
October 2020, 147 coaches were manufactured at This increase in produ­ ction despite the
an average daily production rate of 5.88 coaches. epidemic, reflects the persistence and dedication of
In September of fiscal 2020-21, the RCF staff.
RCF manufactured 152 coaches which was the Interestingly, despite a dip in manpower and
maximum production before December. In the supply-chain of goods during the Covid period
December, 50 lightweight parcel coaches and 46 the production rate of almost 6 coaches per day has
AC coaches were produced which is the best ever been achieved, which is the highest in the history
production in any month. of RCF.

RDSO Organised Meeting of Rajbhasha Karyanvayan Samiti

Samiti was organised. In this
meeting, the Director General
reviewed the progress of
Rajbhasha propagation and the
work being done in the official
language in the last quarter.
The Rajbhasha magazine of the
organisation 'Manak Rashmi'
was released by Shri Virendra
Kumar Director General/RDSO,
An Informative presentation
was made in the Official
Language by Sri L. B. Yadav,
Deputy Director / Finance on the
subject of "Procedure for
acceptance of proposals related
to demand No.16". The winners
of Hindi Essay, Hindi Speech

O n 13 January, 2021 under the chairmanship of

Shri Virendra Kumar, Director General/RDSO,
Quarterly meeting of Rajbhasha Karyanvayan
and Hindi Comment and Draft Writing Competitions
held in November 2020 were presented with
certificates by the Mukhya Rajbhasha Adhikari.

46 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 TRUE STORY

VALOUR ON FOOTPLATE
Shri Sudhendu J. Sinha
Adviser, NITI Aayog Government of India.

T
he curtain raises – 25th July, If it failed, it would create a mayhem.
1956, approaching midnight “So what we do?” The firemen
MANASSER JOHANNES
– a night pitch dark when were nonplussed imploring for his
fate was in full fury even Diving to the deep dark ocean approval.
literally. floor, scaling the highest peaks, “Go save yourself. You are
“We are all going to die, Mack!]” jumping off a precipice, or injured yet take an Olympic leap –
yelled both the firemen in blue funk. fighting a band of armed leap of your lifetime. Keep your
“There is a major glitch in the balance. You should be sliding down
fire box. Damn luck is not on our the slope of the embankment and
side. Flames are getting out of not crash your head against the
control”, Manasser Johannes and ballast strewn all over or the rails.”
‘Mack’ for his friends, was visibly Mack enjoined without losing his
shaken. focus on the brakes.
The Anglo-Indian engine driver “What about you?”, the Firemen
of Kharagpur crew base who could were concerned about their senior
spin a wisecrack anytime otherwise and trainer who had taught and
was the most serious – almost a guided them the nuances of driving.
stuffed shirt. A sudden block-back “May be next life. That too as a
of fire from the fire box door was Railwayman. It is a dream of every
growing up in flames. While it had Anglo- Indian youngster to ride the
rained the other day, it was all dry robbers alone are definite footplate. We are the railway people.
that day. Even the rain gods were examples of courage and This is our train, you know! Guard
not merciful. chivalry. Is a common man Benny Calvert, another one of us, is
“Should we not jump off out of with exemplary commit­ment manning the brake of this train. I
the moving train? ” to his duty and a sense of am going to stop this train to safety,
Mack was invested into himself, sacrifice not capable of doing anyhow”, Mack was resolute.
frantically doing all that he could, an act of hero? The men of Both the fireman tossed
to close the fire box door and contain grit and spine that galvanise themselves out to safety.
the fire but all in vain. The flames them into action making Now, the Situation Report – Cab
leapt and engulfed first the fire­ them immortal in the annals on fire with smoke billowing out
man’s trousers. He started slapping with Mack right at the centre of the
of history consti­ tuting a
his legs wildly to extinguish the fire inferno.
glorious saga forever.
with the help of the fancy co­ tton The pain was rising and so was
Railways are full of such
cushion that he was carrying. his resolve to pull over his train to
narratives. Here is one such
“Mack, let us come together and safety – a predicament that comes
story to sing about a Railway only with the highest degree of
take a jump to life. Should we not?”
The fireman was writhing in pain. engine driver who set a passion. He took his last sincere effort
The cab was filed with the stench of formidable standards of to apply the brakes. It was all up in
burnt skin. valour on footplate. flames – orange and yellow with
“Yeah, you should. But I should occa­sional blue streak. He could see
not.” He was absolutely clear and through the flames that he was
resolute. approaching the outer signal of Kharagpur station.
“You know it is not a goods train. It is a bloody He gave his best and shook the brake lever violently.
passenger train, the most popular one - 315 Up It was a miracle, only god sent. The rec­ alcitrant
Howrah-Chakradharpur Passenger with 400 pax on brakes started applying. The braking im­ pulse got
board. I will strive till my last breath to kill this fire activated started moving on in turn gradually slowing
witch. I wish I could stop the train. The levers seem down the train. The heat and the burn was unbearable
to be choked to a block.” The fire had thrown even making it the most difficult to be on the post but Mack
the braking system out of gear. Johannes was still clinging on to the brake levers.
It was absolutely necessary that the train was Right short of the foot of the outer signal of Kharagpur
put to a stop immediately so that the spread of fire station the passenger train stopped with all 400
could be contained forthwith to envelope other coaches. passengers most of them sleeping as they do at their

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 47

 TRUE STORY

11th October 1957 Photograph Courtesy : Harry MacLure,

Ashoka Hall, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi Editor-Publisher, Anglo-Ink Books.
Library Assistance : Rail Bhawan Library.
KIRTI CHAKRA (Posthumously)
Website : https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in
for ‘conspicuous gallantry’ - Manasser Johannes.
Archive :
 1. Ministry of Defence, Government of
India.
2. V. N. Singh O&M Ministry of Railways
(Railway Board), New Delhi.
Reference : ‘Footprints On The Track Anglo-
Indian Railway Memories’, (Ed.) Noel Thomas,
Anglo-Ink Books (Second Edition, 2014).

fortitude that combines only in rare souls. What was

left with Benny Calvert was his immaculate uniform
with impressions and contours of the charred hands
of Manasser Johannes as souvenir and the memora­
bilia of the ultimate sacrifice of his brave colleague.
The President of India was in all praise for
President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in
conversation with Marjorie Johannes Manasser Johannes, the engine driver. The citation
for the gallantry award was read out in choked voice
homes with their trust that all the systems of the overwhelmed with emotions “ … there were about
Railways are alert at their best of reflexes and all are 400 passengers in the train. Realising that a disaster
completely safe. must result if he too jumped out, driver Johannes
The engine was immediately detached, coaches remained at his post in the flame filled cab and though
were pinned down and station was informed. Benny, severely burnt he eventually brought the train to a
the guard, rushed to Mack who had sustained serious stop. …” Dr. Rajendra Prasad handed over the medal
burns - peeled off skin showed the red flesh inside to his widow Marjorie Johannes with her young son
dripping with droplets of the essential of the body, Michael Johannes by her side.
face completely charred, back seared – it was ninety The august audience roared into thunderous
five percent burns. He was immediately taken to the cheers. It’s filled the sky and etched the glory of Mack
hospital where he breathed his last. But it was not Johannes reverberating for all times to come -
without creating an epitome of commitment and Railwayman that he was, his valour on footplate.

!
n
AttentionAdvertisers
Advertisers !!
io
nt
te
At
For providing regular advertisements you may please contact Shri Prashant Kumar Pattnaik, Business
Manager, Indian Railways, Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi-1. Regular advertisers are also
requested to communicate one month in advance for the continuation of their advertisements. You may
please contact Shri Pattnaik on 011-47845378, 43665 (Rly) or email to [email protected].
REGULAR ISSUES Monthly Issues
Items
Casual Rate Contract Rate*
MECHANICAL DATA
Back Cover ` 11,400 ` 10,450
2nd Cover ` 10,450 ` 9500 Overall Size
3rd Cover ` 9500 ` 8550 28 cm x 20.5 cm;
Full Page (Special Position i.e. before / ` 8550 ` 7600 Print Area
after text pages) 23 cm x 16.5 cm
Full Page ` 7600 ` 6650
Advertisement
Half Page ` 5130 ` 4180 • Material
Spread over two adjacent pages ` 15,000 ` 13,300 • Email or
Spread over two adjacent pages ` 16,500 ` 14,700 • Artpull/CD
(Special Position)
• At least three or more advertisements regularly or alternatively come under contract rates.
• Mode of Payment: Demand Draft (in advance) in favour of Business Manager, Indian Railways payable at New Delhi or
Cash may be deposited in Room No. 310, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi-11001.
Payment through Cheque is not acceptable

48 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ACADEMICS

The Changing Landscape of Contemporary Libraries

Shri Rajesh Kumar Sinha
Librarian, South Eastern Railway, Adra

S imilar to evolution and changes witnessed in all

forms of contemporary society, socio-economic
domain, the modern-day libraries too have
LIBRA, LIBSYS, KOHA, LIBRARIAN, LIBRARY
MANAGER, MODERN LIB and plenty of others.
In this form of library, the reader gets all the
metamorphosed. A library that till 15-20 years ago library documents directly on his computer/laptop/
was usually seen as a dingy room, full of books in Apps or mobile phone. The user will get all library
closed almirahs and a Librarian with spectacles on, sources, sitting in his home or office. And more
sitting behind huge stack of books and getting the importantly, there will be no ‘Library Hours’, since
asked ones to some bibliophiles, who were the users would be able to get access to their required
chosen ones to visit the place. documents, at all times, as per his convenience.
Times have changed and so are the libraries. The introduction of library management
The modern-day libraries are some of the sleekest softwares, BARCODE System, RFID System,
spaces around where patrons are the serious ones, Database Management System (DBMS) are some
looking for relevant information. The buildings are of the other innovations that have helped to change
spacious, sitting places are properly earmarked, the very landscape of today’s libraries.
computers with hi-speed internet connection are The technological improvements in the library
normal and books have been replaced with’ system however, has been paradoxical. While it has
documents.’ Documents in a broader sense reflect introduced innovative systems that have helped to
all sources of information. They could be books, improve the efficacy and performance of a modern
periodicals, journals, atlas, travelogue, photographs, library, availability of greater information
CDs, DVDs, monographs, thesis, dissertations and resources, it has also raised new issues.
any other source of knowledge or information. When more information resources are available
One of the most significant changes that have at the disposal of readers in different forms and at
come around is the introduction and proliferation a place and time of his choice, why does he need to
of e-resources. The widespread growth of internet visit a library? When anything, anytime can be
has helped the e-resources like anything. When looked after immediately at the click of a mouse,
knowledge is summarised and presented in an i.e. a search engine say Google, Yahoo then why
electronic form in various formats, PDF, digital, should the reader spend his time, effort and energy
multimedia, scanned/photographed, MP3/MP4 or to visit a library.
other audio forms, these are myriad forms of In fact, there have been suggestions since last
e-resources. And they have become an integral part two decades that libraries will gradually lose their
of a contemporary library and its users. prime and will be replaced with apps-fed mobile
Computers and internet have also brought phones. All information will be passed on to these
about a revolutionary change in the very concept modern communication gadgets where readers will
of a library. Todays’ libraries have gone beyond the get everything they are looking for. In fact, the
idea of a room or a building. The thought of a forced Corona-led lockdowns have resulted in a
Digital Library, Hybrid Library or a Virtual Library situation where students are attending to their
have gone beyond technologically-savvy nations classes online, taking their exams on mobiles/
and societies. They have become an integral part laptops and people are working from home with the
of all modern societies and nations. While a Digital use of communication technologies. E-commerce
Library in a broader context implies a library has enabled citizens to secure their home and
whose entire documents or collections are in a business needs by AI-enabled technologies.
digital form, the Hybrid Library has collections So where does a modern library thus stand in
that are partly digital and partly physical. Most of the midst of all such developments?
the contemporary libraries could be regarded as a The answer lies in the ability to evolve and
hybrid library since their collections comprise both adapt to changing circumstances. A Library needs
forms. to adapt itself to modern technologies. It surely has
A Virtual Library is another innovative form reformed but the pace needs to be a bit faster.
that has emerged due to the developments in While an extensively-used search engine like
communication technologies including world wide Google can bring anything and everything under
web, android, open source operating systems like the sun before users in no time, the tremendous
Linux, a good number of library softwares like information explosion that has resulted in the last

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 49

 ACADEMICS
few decades, has made knowledge widely accessible. the emerging needs of users and the society. As
However, what a user needs is not merely that is being done, libraries around the world are
information but the most relevant information and evolving, changing and becoming more tech-savvy
there comes the role of a professional Librarian. A user-centric information and resource centres as
Librarian who can bring the most relevant against mere reading rooms as was the case till a
information to the user, at the right time, right few years ago. As societies grow and improve,
place and in the least cost. libraries will evolve, grow and improve too. In the
A Librarian also needs to be equipped with process, libraries of the future will most certainly
some more domains, more disciplines. A background emerge as smaller in space but greater and more
in the field of information sciences along with relevant providers of knowledge, information and
communication technologies, psychology, business resources to remain useful to the humanity.
innovations and practices will make him aware of
the new relevant changes to make the library more Readers are requested to send their
user-oriented and productive.
The shrinking library budgets is a global SUGGESTIONS / FEEDBACK
phenomenon today. Contemporary libraries need to
be better run, effectively-managed and techno­
to
[email protected]
logically developed to make them more in line with

Paintings Shri Om Prakash

Sr. RRO, Southern Railway

50 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 STORY

THE SIREN BLOWN

Shri Subrata Bhattacharya
Ex Dy CEE/ HQ/ MLG, NFR

I
t was late-o-clock at night and Subimal was and other staff are only required to move.
sleeping. Suddenly the mobile phone started to The relief train left at exactly three thirty hour.
ring. Subimal’s phone is used to be kept on a Subimal came and sat in the seat. Subimal is an
small table beside the bed to attend in case of Engineer in the Electrical department. Two doctors,
emergency. a RPF officer and two other Engineers from other
Subimal retired for sleep at half past eleven. His departments came and sat there. They had taken
ringing cell phone shattered his sleep. The phone primary care requirements.
call was attended. The call came from the Railway The relief train is running through the darkness
Control Office. The staff on night duty called,” Sir, of night. There are paddy fields on either side, tea
there has been a derailment of Up Shatadal Express gardens at some areas. Cold air was pouring in
near Majherpur station. Four coaches derailed. Ten through the windows. Occasionally there was a flash
to fifteen people were injured. The siren would of light on the sidewalk. Sometimes they notice the
sound right now. Relief trains are being arranged.” headlight of the trucks running on the national
Subimal jumped up. He went to the bathroom highway.
and washed his face and sprinkled water to his Shortly after Subimal had left, Sushmita saw a
strained eyes. Then he started to be ready. A small light flashing in Alok Sarma’s house opposite theirs.
bag was always kept ready with the necessary items Conversations were also being heard. Alok a
as required to proceed anywhere in case of Mechanical Engineer also went on the relief train.
emergency. It usually contains torch light, water Alok’s wife Soma is Sushmita’s friend. Besides
bottles, biscuits, pencils, notebook, some useful Soma, Sushmita has a few more friends here. They
medicines etc. He took a look at it once. occasionally gather and are used to gossiping and
Subimal’s wife Sushmita also woke up. Sushmita chatting at different functions of the Office. Sush­
arranged and checked Subimal’s belongings. mita called her. Sushmita did not get any additional
Subimal got ready in fifteen minutes and came out. news from Soma. After a while she turned off the
It was three-fifteen in the morning. The siren had light and went to bed. She was constantly thinking
already sounded. Some people in the railway colony about Subimal and prayed for safe return of Subimal
woke up. They would also arrive on the relief train. and their team from the accident site. As a result
Subimal’s office car had arrived by then. He almost she could not sleep as a sense of anxieties and
jumped to take his seat. And within five minutes apprehensions was always overpowering her effort
they reached the relief train. to control his worries. The better halves in the
Several Workers and Officers arrived on the Railways are no mean achievers as their indirect
relief train inside the yard. The lights were on. They involvement and emotional attachment for any
were looking at their own belongings. Doctors, cause made the Railways a happier family as they
Health workers, Engineers of different departments, would always stand by their husbands in case of any
Workers were arriving one by one. Subimal called adversity or emergency.
the Superintendent of his own department. Then Doctors and Health workers would be the first
they started looking at their belongings. to attend the needy when the relief train arrives at
Departing from here, they would start their own the crash site. They would go to treat the injured
work as soon as they reached the accident site. passengers. Meanwhile, RPF personnels would co­rdon
Some Officers boarded the relief train; others went off the entire accident site. If there are sus­pi­cious
to the Control Office. From there some instructions people likely to interfere with smooth proc­eedings
were given and also the necessary news from the they would remove them. The security staff would
relief train kept coming to the Control Office off and guard the whole area. In case of major acci­dents, State
on regarding news from the site. Government would be co-opted thro­ ugh District
The siren sounded at exactly three o’clock. At Officers of the area to take up all security measures
three-twenty-five minutes the locomotive was and to avoid any miscreant activities.
attached with the relief train. And the relief train Everyone in the other departments would start
would leave in just five minutes. Medical van was their own works. The people in the electrical depa­
also connected with Doctors, Nurses and Health rtment would run small generators at different
workers. If there is no passenger train involved, places. Then they would light up the area. There
there is no need to go for the Medical van. Engineers will be two or three telephones from the Railway

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 51

 STORY
Signal and Telecommunication department. Their In this aspect the Railwaymen are no less disciplined
duty is to ensure good and uninterrupted and workaholic than the defence staff who are
communication from the accident site and to ensure definitely at the top to protect and guard the borders
com­munication between different agencies working despite all the rigours of the terrains and climates.
at the accident site. Necessary communication arra­ Subimal has asked his Assistant Engineer
ngements would be provided at the site to comm­ Tapan Roy to stay in the Control Office. Subimal
unicate with the Control Office for smooth progress was also informing him as and when required. The
of the works and also to apprise them with the latest train was running very fast, they were supposed to
progress and expected time required to complete the reach the accident site by 04:25 a.m.
proceedings. An announcement would also be The relief train is equipped with all the necessary
required to be made to facilitate inter­depart­mental supplies so that the rescue operation can be started
cooperation when these are required. The people in in a very short time. Necessary medicines, bandages,
the Mechanical department will arrange for a crane Oxygen cylinders etc. are kept in the Medical van.
to lift the coaches and other heavy goods and place Umbrellas, raincoats, gumboots, helmets, tents,
them on the track. The heavily damaged vehicles etc. are available to dispose and face every condition
would be placed by the sides of the track to clear the of changing weather like hot and blazing sun and
track and proceed with nece­ssary repairing of the also incessant rain and occasional storms and also
track to set right everything for movement of traffic as safety precautions.
just after restoration and submission of all clear The equipments of the relief train are checked
message to all concerned. every few days so that they are all handy, in order
Passengers would be evacuated quickly. They and available readily for use. There is a fixed time
would be given first aid if required and sent to the for this; the Heads of different departments visit at
nearest hospital. The normal unaffected passengers the specified time and give necessary advice. The
would be sent by another train to the destination. Officers of the department are quite relieved that
Passengers would be given drinking water and other the relief train was tested only seven days ago.
amenities if required and as available at site. If a Subimal and his colleagues informed their relations
passenger is stuck in a damaged vehicle, he would at their houses that they had reached the relief
be rescued by cutting the window and stretching it train and it left in time.
if required and by any other means as the staff It can take up to six hours, eight hours, or It can
meant for rescue, deem it appropriate to take the take any length of time depending upon the scale of
right measures if needed. A list of where and how damages, the facilities available and whims of
the injured passengers are to be shifted, would be nature till final completion. At the very end the line
made on the basis of proper amenities as available would be repaired by the Civil Engineering
at such hospitals to treat the injured as per Department. When it is completely fixed then the
requirement. The necessary information would be relief train would come back. Experienced staff of
sent to the Control Office. each department are kept ready for this job. It is
The coaches on the train line would be removed like seeing their ability to move big and heavy
from both sides and brought to the nearest stations. things and build rail communication in a shortest
Those coaches which got derailed from the line, possible time.
would be lifted on the line with a crane. If that is They were discussing with colleagues the fallout
not possible, they would be removed from the line. of accident as reported and the extent of resulting
Then it would be the turn of the Civil Engineers damages. Additional DRM Sri Satish Gupta is on
to repair the line and make it fit for train running. today’s relief train. He is the highest rank Officer
All passengers would be required to be evacuated here to instil confidence and a sense of fulfilness
before undertaking repair works. Only railway guiding and arousing passion to show their working
workers would work there. at the highest order to realise a speedy restoration.
Others with Subimal included Dr Animesh Everyone will do their own work and take his advice
Ghosh, Dr Kamal Gogoi, Engineers Anup Singh, if necessary.
Ramesh Gupta, Alok Sarma and Tapas Dey. They ADRM Sri Gupta directed to make a list of the
were all talking about how they got ready after Heads of all the departments, who were able to
receiving the news of the accident. Dr Gogoi said he catch the train. He informed the other Officers as
forgot to wear a sweater over a full shirt in a hurry. much as he knew about the accident and gave
He was feeling pretty cold now. Alok watched a necessary advice.
movie on TV till late at night, wanted to wake up a Still there was approximately a time of five
little late today. But the accident had spoilt minutes left to reach the accident site. The train
everything as planned and made them to start for came to a halt at Majherpur station. Additional
the accident site ironically without any sleep or rest. DRM Sri Gupta called all the Officers and

52 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 STORY
announced,”I want to tell everyone what the opposite direction, then the relief train would return
accident is, which was nothing but a mock drill. In to their town.
case of emergency, we have to take care of our work. Subimal recalls regarding their daily works in
Please inform your staff accordingly that we should this division. Bonding among the colleague officers
be ready to face any eventuality to make our efforts are very nice. After the day long busy schedule
really successful.” Subimal sometimes goes to the officers club. Many
He further directed the Officers of each colleague officers take part in table tennis,
department to take note of the condition of their badminton and carrom. In the club days their family
equipment and the activities of the staff. The members take part in singing, music, games etc. He
designated staff should also collect the reasons for also enjoys the outdoor inspections in the small
those who could not come. All matters would be stations which are surrounded by natural beauty.
analyzed tomorrow. Now the relief train is running in the opposite
All the Officers informed their staff. The wave direction. Subimal and his colleagues sat side by
of tension that had been spreading for so long side; they were busy talking to each other. Some of
suddenly calmed down. The first episode of a them were dosing with winks of sleep. Nothing to
breathless drama is over. This is how their activities wonder at because they had to leave without full
are sometimes tested. sleep and now after projected execution of mock drill
ADRM Sri Gupta got down at the station and and preparedness of everything to nicety,they are
spoke to the Officers in a light and casual manner. enjoying with occasional wink of sleep to express
For so long he had looked quite serious. Only four their contentment after a rightful concl­ usion as
high-ranking Officers knew the matter which was expressed by their occasional slumbers.
kept a secret from the rest. The darkness outside was impenetrable although
Subimal called his wife at home and informed a light fade-out of overall darkness signalled dawn
about the matter. Everyone was very anxious. On to embark upon. They would now reach their town
hearing about the mock drill they are relieved now. as soon as the dawn broke in.
Here there will be a little break for twenty / twenty-
five minutes. The engine of the relief train is being Translated by : Kalyan Kumar Sanyal, ex DSTE / Con/
disconnected. The engine will be attached in the Maligaon, NF Railway.

OUTLET FOR PURCHASE/SUBSCRIPTION

of Magazines Published by Ministry of Railways

February 2021 ` 20
The monthly magazines
INDIAN RAILWAYS viz. ‘Bhartiya Rail’ in
Hindi and ‘Indian
Railways’ in English are
KEVADIYA
now available for
Railway station
Inaugurated on
17th January
purchase/subscription at

FIT INDIA MOVEMENT

Souvenir Shop of
ALL OVER INDIAN RAILWAYS

– Special Coverage NATIONAL RAIL MUSEUM

Chanakyapuri, New Delhi

› ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION š
India : ` 250 (`200 for Railwaymen), Foreign : ` 1250 (Sea Mail), ` 2500, (Air Mail),
Single Copy : ` 20, Special Issue : ` 70

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 53

 SOCIETY

FMC…
Shri Uppuluri Krishna Murty
CVO, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (Retired)

F
amily Membership Certificate [FMC] or practically on a hand to mouth existence for decades.
Family Composition Certificate [FCC] is a After I started working, my parents stayed with
crucial Document, as I had come to learn me. In fact, they lived with me, wherever I worked,
recently. for 30 plus years.
It is a valid substitute to some extent to the My parents used to manage their income from
‘Inheritance Certificate’ that courts normally issue Pension themselves. My father used to spend it
subject to compliance with due ‘processes’. The mostly on his regular travels. My father was fond
FMC is, legally speaking, an imperative paper that of children. He used to spend a lot for buying gifts for
is indispensable to establish one’s credentials and the children he used to meet at relatives’ and friends’
claim benefits from the Family Pension Scheme, places. Even after fully meeting such ex­penses on his
left over amounts in Provident Fund Accounts and own my father, a frugal man that he was, had set
different kinds of Bank Accounts that have no clear aside a tidy sum and invested it in his own name in
nominee(s), in resolving knotty disputes within a the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme [SCSS].
family regarding Inheritance of investments in My mother was a parsimonious person to the
Mutual Funds, Shares, Debentures of different core. She was very meticulous and careful with
shades, different immovable assets. among others. money. By adopting different cost cutting measures
The FMC comes in to picture particularly when she saved some money from the household’s annual
a person dies intestate and had not left a will or budget. The gifts that she used to receive on
clearly spelt out as to who should get his wealth. different occasions had added handsomely to the
From the breadth and depth of its applicability kitty. This created a corpus for her to invest in a
you can easily make out that the FMC is a prize SCSS Account herself.
pos­s­ession; and as probably rightly guessed by you, The rate of annual interest paid for the SCSS
it is not easy to get one, when, unfortunately, the Deposits was fairly attractive in early 2010s.
need arises because of one’s negligence at paper It is optional for the investor in the SCSS to
work stage. provide details of the nominee. My father seems to
This is a dry and boring introduction in a layman’s have forgotten about this. The bank also failed to
language, sans the legal jargon, to a subject that is advise my dad about this requirement. Years rolled
known to most of you. The readers should pardon on. The same happened in my mother’s case.
me for this liberty I have taken with your time. I lost my father in the end of 2017 when he was
But read what follows to know the difference 91. His SCSS Account was about to mature. Then
between theory and practice. it had suddenly dawned up on us that there was no
I was living under the shade of the protective nominee in the SCSS Account of my late father.
care provided by my parents well into my late 50s. That development set into motion the rigmarole
I was lucky. I had a happy and contented home. of myself applying to the bank as a claimant. I had
When­ever I reached home from work my parents realized that I need to submit a written application
used to welcome me with smiles on their faces. There form.
was joy all-around. I had given the best years of my The SCSS Account of my late father was at a
life to my employer with unwavering concentration. bank branch where I had worked long back. To
I hardly spared any time to my family or other affairs. visit that place I had to undertake an 18-Hour
My competent wife was admirably managing my Train journey. The air connectivity was poor. I
household all these years. I have a single child as made some feeble attempts to get that account
per the modern-day norm. I have no investments transferred along with me to a nearby bank branch
worth the name so there is no need for any compli­ whenever I got transferred and when my father
cated planning either as regards distribution of the was alive and we all shifted together. I was told by
wealth, or to think of a need for any kind of the bank where this account was opened that a
document called FMC. SCSS Account once opened at a branch cannot be
My father was an Indian Air Force Pensioner transferred; it now appears to me that I was
who retired prematurely and had to make do with misguided by an ignorant Bank Manager.
the trimmed down pension post 1960s. My mother Visiting that place to contact the bank only for
was a housewife with no independent income of her the purpose of claiming the funds left over in the
own. Times were being what they were, we were SCSS Account is an expensive proposition. Besides,

54 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 SOCIETY
such a trip involves additional costs for accommo­ though it is the Revenue Inspector [RI] who calls the
dation, local transport, et alia. I visited some local shots in reality.
branches of the bank first to get the right application The position of a ‘Tahasildar’ and its ‘powers’
form. I got three different types of application to ‘bestow upon’ or ‘take away from’ citizenry
forms from three different branches of the same various benefits available under different social
bank. It took some time for me to zero in on the welfare schemes are legendary. The ‘Tahasildar’ is,
correct form which I got from the Branch where the as I have learnt over the years, a powerful official
SCSS Account was available. I got it by email. and I vividly recall an incidence from mid-1980s.
This particular application form is running into I reported at the Centralized Training Institute
8 pages. I am an experienced bureaucrat and a self- after joining the Central Services ‘Group A’ after
proclaimed expert in paper-work. But filling this clearing the Civil Services Examinations held in
particular application was a jittery experience 1986.
because it was full of legalese. I opted for one of the ‘Group A’ ‘Services’ of the
In addition, the application required the Indian Railways as they were reputedly one of the
submission of several properly filled-in annexures. best employers around at that time and help you
They are: a notarized affidavit, an Inheritance Certi­ lead a dignified life with self-respect intact as they
ficate from a competent court or a Family Composition take care of every requirement of their employees;
Certificate or Family Membership Certificate [FMC] be it housing, be it medical care, including post-re­
in lieu from a competent Official of the Revenue ti­rement medical care, be it recreational needs, you
Department of the relevant State Government, a name it and they have their own infrastructure for
document signed by two persons of sufficient net everything and access to them is virtually free for
worth from outside of my relatives’ circle with them employees; both serving and retired, and their
standing in for me as surety for the sum involved, families.
and an indemnity letter from another person One gentleman from our batch left the coveted
indemnifying the bank by stating that he knows ‘Group A’ Service of Indian Railways and instead
my family for sufficiently long time and the facts opted for the position of a Trainee ‘Tahasildar’ in
stated in the claim application are correct. his home State. His parting shot in the farewell
That said, I could make out that getting an function was that the position of a ‘Tahasildar’ is
Inheritance Certificate or FMC is the trickiest job any day 1000 times better than a ‘Group A’ job in
of all. In the metro I was living at the time of my Indian Railways.
father’s death. I met a below average advocate; he Quite a few of our batch mates were shocked at
was operating from his parked car as his office, his decision to opt for a ‘Group C’ ‘Service’ in a State
quoted a rate of Rupees 40000 as a package fee for Government in lieu of a ‘Group A’ position in the
pro­cessing the whole case and getting the Indian Railways. At that time, I could not figure out
Inheritance Certificate from the relevant court with the reasons for such a summary conclusion though.
the rider that the court may take up to 4 years to Another colleague of mine from our batch
decide the matter and issue a Certificate. during the Probation days; let us remember that he
The procedure involved, interestingly, among was perfectly sober and was not drunk or under the
others, the release of an advertisement in the local influence of psychedelic drugs of any kind or
newspapers in multiple languages that I am the anything like that at that point in time, walked
only legal heir. across to the Principal Head of the Department of
One good Samaritan had chipped in with an his Vertical, whom he came across in a local vege­
advice that I may instead opt for the FMC, issued table bazar, and wisecracked that the position of a
by the ‘Tahasildar’, a fabled designation etched Head Constable in the Police Department of the
permanently in Indian psyche since the time of Jim State Government is way better than the position
Corbett, if not much older times; a ‘Tahasildar’ to of a PHoD in Indian Railways; which one achieves
refresh your memory, is a ‘Group C’ Official of the after 35+ years of relentless 10 Hours-a-day
State Government with an apparently Talismanic weekend-less toil.
touch and sweeping powers. The reason given by my batch mate for arriving
A ‘Tahasildar’ is an all-India phenomenon. at this outrageous conclusion was funny. The Head
That friend told me that it would suffice to have Constable [HC], according to him, never goes to the
that the FMC to get the dues from the Bank. So I have vegetable market on his own as a Constable does
settled up on the option to chase a ‘FMC’ and get it. the errand for him and the shops usually give
The ‘Tahasildar’, or his deputy the Mandal vegetables free of cost to a HC as an insurance to
Revenue Officer, yours sincerely has discovered, is avoid trouble that may descend up on them in
the competent authority who issues the FMC; even another form.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 55

 SOCIETY
Much water has flown under the bridge and I told to write down my name on a piece of scrap and
have since retired from the Government job after preferably dirty paper with a pen mentioning the
about 38 years of continuous Service, including landline number and pass on the same, if required.
about 10 years in different PSUs, without The advice was that it pays to be humility
experiencing, luckily or unluckily, the entrancing personified when one goes to the State Government’s
‘Powers’ of a ‘Tahasildar’ firsthand. Office at the appointed date and time even though
At the time of my father’s death when it was it is an open secret that a handsome ‘Bribe’ is a
time for me to seek a FMC from the State Revenue must to get the job done.
Department, I was occupying the position of an Since joining the Vigilance Function about 10
‘Additional Secretary’ to Government of India. So I years back I had become a very good listener. So, I
thought that the ‘Tahasildar’, a functionary about took the wise men’s cues on their merits.
10 to 12 levels below me in the rather formal You may find it surprising in me cursing
hierarchy of the Government, may oblige me Government Machinery and Bureaucracy though I
immediately and issue the FMC. I was proved myself hail from the same tribe. As you know, as
totally wrong, as you can see, and I started the one gets to occupy senior positions, whether in the
processing of my case. main corridors of power or in the little by lanes of
A ‘Tahasildar’ is from the mighty ‘State Apparatus’ the corporate hierarchy, wherein the kind of
from the times the British ruled India. This Desi­ positions that I occupied are available aplenty, one
gnation still has some of its mythological aura it forgets the rudiments of the processes that prevail
carried over the years, though it is definitely on the in the grassroots level Offices of the Government.
wane. A ‘Tahasildar’ has a halo that represents the One finds even applying for an LPG Connection a
glow of sanctity which we notice conventionally being daunting task and it is no exaggeration to say that
shown encircling the heads of Gods and Goddesses. one can get easily lost while attempting to send a
One timely advice that reached me was that the letter by registered post at a post office.
State Government Offices have their own informal No dabe has to be frustrated or disappointed
organizations and the formal organograms are when it comes to finding a helping hand in one’s
often misleading. A good friend told me well in the surrounds for getting petty jobs done at government
nick of time that approaching these officials directly offices. In ‘Bureaucracy’ you have enough number
could lead to disastrous results and irreparable of redundant people with a variety of skills. Some
damages to the very purpose we are attempting to of them are handy as errand boys for Senior
achieve; getting a FMC, sometimes. Another Officers. In course of time such resident factotums
valuable input that I received was that I should of offices become so indispensable that they are
never mention my designation or title before the exempted from periodical transfers and such other
State Govern­ment’s Officials unless they are of real ‘harassments’ that haunt staffs that do their
significance and have some nuisance value to the normal work sincerely!
‘Tahasildar’ or his Staffs when I meet them lest I found one such factum factotum in a lieutenant
their very mention could be counterproductive. I in the close proximity and I requested him to lead
me out of this troublesome situation of successfully
was strictly warned against presenting my stylish
applying for the funds in my late father’s SCSS
corporate visiting card as it could jack up the
Account that is sans a nominee.
demand for bribe and make me a butt of jokes.
So that friend took over the job of securing me
Another danger lurking around was that the
a FMC. He assured me that he would work as a
‘Tahasildar’ or his Staffs may not find time to read
front-man for me. He assured me that he would
it or may not be able to understand it. Here I
handle the staff at the ‘Tahasildar’s’ office ‘appro­
remember doing a similar mistake while meeting
priately’. Firstly, my friend visited the ‘Aapka-Seva’
a senior Indian Railways Official from a different
Kendra, a Computerized Front Office, a kind of
‘Group A’ Service and was slated to climb to the
single window, of the State Government that was
very apex of the Organization from the day he
specifically created to foster a people friendly
joined; he joined the job at the age of 16. When I
environment and reduce corruption. He obtained
presented my visiting card to him that ‘Gentleman’;
the necessary forms there, which are in the official
I do not know whether it is an appropriate title for
language of the State, and got them filled up
him, had thrown the same into a dustbin located
correctly with the help of a street-corner consultant
near his foot-rest. Coming back to the ‘Tahasildar’,
available nearby the ‘Aapka-Seva’ Kendra and
a dysfunctional remnant from the feudal times, I after ensuring that I signed at the right places
was afraid that a visiting card may mislead him in submitted the same in the electronic front office.
to assuming that I am from the clan of a big ind­
ustrialist and hence can afford a bigger Bribe. I was To be continued...

56 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 ECONOMY

GLOBALISATION AND PANDEMIC

Prof. S. Balakothandapani
Former Chief Trainer, ZRTI.OXFORD Engineering College, Trichy-9

“Globalization is both an active process of corporate expansion across borders and a structure of cross
border facilities and economic linkages that has been steadily growing and changing’’
–Edward S Herman

T
he term Globalization is a derivation of the include Environmental pollution, Terrorist acti­
term Global, which means covering the vities, Human rights violation etc. People all over
globe. In its broader sense, global refers to the world have come to realize that their social
looking at things in terms of whole world hazards have to be uprooted from the society.
and not an individual country. The idea of
Globalization dates back to the conference held at Pandemic and Scenario Post Pandemic
Britton woods (USA) in1947 and since then it has A Pandemic is defined as an epidemic occurring
embraced world economic activities. But in the worldwide or over a wider area, crossing a large
recent years because of wide spread communication number of people. The pandemic is a peculiar thing.
network, the world has become smaller and all the It is a paradoxical situation that while this is a
Nation’s have come much closer to each other. global phenomenon in its very nature but the effect
The international movement forces have grown politically was to make everyone turn inward more
stronger because of export-import dependence beyond local, and more national in the orientation. But the
mutual boundaries. People of one country now have world we live in now is so deeply interconnected by
access to the global market developing or promoting trade and investment capital flows that it would be
market transactional. It is true that all the countries unthinkable to unravel all that. The truth is that
of the world are not equally developed in the global we need all these desperately. In the present
market. The developed countries have influenced the scenario most countries are looking for growth,
developing countries in one way or the other. There particularly now with the effect of the pandemic.
have been capital inflow and transfer of techno­ Now the fastest way to boost our economy is to
logical know-how from the dev­eloped countries to have a larger market to play in. And that means
the lesser developing countries. There are four actually going in the direction of more trade, more
types of Globalization, i.e. Economic globalization, openness than less. And in fact our Prime Minister
Skill globalization, Technological globalization and has taken the right direction of liberalization by
the last one Globalization of awareness of several easing exports and simultaneously and industry
pro­blems of different countries. These problems owners to produce more things locally. He has also

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 57

 ECONOMY
Conclusion
Modern world cannot be perceived
as the one where people stick to one
side in globalization Vs globalization
opposition since these processes
coexist and cannot be discussed
separately,The develop­ ment of the
globalization phenomenon made
people think about the preservation
of their local culture along with
enjoying all the benefits of a
globalized society that imply
constant development and using
recent innovations. Localism
presupposes delivering a certain
product or service to both global and
local target audience at the same
time, so this phe­ no­
menon clearly
illustrates how globalization and
given a call for buying indigenous goods (locally localisation are interconnected. Therefore, in the
made) to boost the demand side for them. post COVID-19 world, what we need to do is to
spend our money differently. Allow banks to lend
The World is Becoming Biopopular to various other kinds of enterprises and that
There are a lot of concerns about being overly money will eventually flow down to the average
reliant on China. That is not an argument against person including the poor people.
globalization but against being reliant on one
single market or country and its more for
geopolitical reasons. As China has become a higher
wage economy, companies have been starting to
diversify to places like India, Bangladesh, Mexico
and so on. But that is still globalization. China and
USA are in a league of their own, economically and
militarily and that is going to define the nature of
the new world for the next generation at least. An
open system and an open global economy can easily
survive with a certain degree of economic and
technological competition. Japan and USA in the
1980’s were highly competitive on many of these
issues. But the key is not to allow it to morph into
the kind of highly divisive, destructive competition
that characterized USA and Soviet Union.

Captalism and Pandemic

In the western world we have a genuinely
mixed economy, production of wealth and the
allocation of resources are done almost entirely by
the market but very strong social protections are put
in place using tax money. That model is quite
stable and it is going to sustain. Now the real cha­
llenge for the pandemic has been a different issue,
the quality of the state. The places that turned
upside down during the pandemic were all places
with weak states like Belgium, Spain, Italy. But
places with strong capable states such as Germany, (Reference: TEN LESSONS FOR A POST
Denmark, Taiwan, and South Korea have done well. PANDEMIC WORLD – Fareed Zakaria)

58 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 TOURISM

Him Darshan Express with Vistadome Coaches between Kalka-Shimla

Shri Anil Saxena
Freelancer

S
himla has never failed to charm the tourists, Shimla, Kangra Valley, Patalpani-Kalkund section
especially during the winter season. To this, (in Madhya Pradesh) and Mailani-Nanpara section
the Indian Railways on 18th December, 2019 (in UP). Another 69 more such coaches will be
has added cherry on top by introducing the planned in 2019-20 to make it 100.
‘Him Darshan Express’ tourist special train on the “This is another attempt by the Indian Railways
UNESCO Heritage Kalka-Shimla route. The train to add to passenger experience while promoting
comprises 7 coaches including six first-class AC tourism in the country,” he said.
vistadome coaches and one first-class sitting cum Him Darshan Express is the first train
luggage room coach. Earlier this year, the Railways introduced by Indian Railways comprising all
has put only one see-through vistadome coach, but vista­dome coaches to run on a regular basis and
in view of the huge response from the travellers holds a capacity of over 100 passengers. The interiors
coming to explore Himachal Pradesh, the entire of the coaches are tastefully decorated and offer the
tourist train has vistadome coaches to offer travellers travellers an opportunity to be close to nature.
a panoramic view of the hills and surrounding In regard to this, the Divisional Railway
villages. All mountain railways in India will now Manager, said that the initiative was taken keeping
have vistadome coaches, allowing passengers to in mind the tourists. Each vistadome coach has 15
enjoy the scenic beauty of hilly terrains, Railway seats with five-window seats at both sides and the
Minister Piyush Goyal said. rest five will be aisle seats. Each coach has two air
Vistadome coaches have been designed to provide conditioners and is aesthetically designed with a
panoramic view to passengers, while enha­ ncing glass roof, wider see-through windows. Not just this,
their travelling comfort. These coaches have been but window roller blinds and honeycomb blinds for
provided with large windows on the sides and glass roof glass is also provided to avoid heavy light during
panels on the roof to provide better viewing experience. the summer months. Adding to this, the interesting
Three broad-gauge coaches have been manu­ fact of the train is, the vistadome coaches are
factured by the Modern Coach Factory in Raeba­reli tastefully decorated with plush interiors and offer
and are running between Dadar and Madgoan in the travellers a chance to be close to nature.
Araku Valley and in Kashmir Valley.
Four mountain railways have been provided
with vistadome coaches.
In total 11 vistadome coaches are presently in
service – four in Darjeeling Himalayan Railway,
two in Kalka-Shimla Railway, one in Kangra Valley
Railway and one in Matheran Hill Railway.
Two meter-gauge coaches have been modified
to vistadome by Golden Rock Workshop,
Tiruchirappalli for Niligiri Mountain Railway.
The minister said that plans are afoot to
manufacture or retrofit 18 more coaches to vista­
dome ones in the next three months for Kalka-

What are the Amenities Provided in the Train?

According to sources, the seats in all the coaches
are adjustable to enhance the overall travel
experience of sightseeing from inside the train. The
coaches are modernized and sufficiently equipped
with things like modular type switches and sockets
for LED lightings and charging, provision of
lavatory and more.

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 59

 TOURISM
The Fare and Train Departure Timings Later on, 11th September, 2007, a UNESCO
The ticket price of Him Darshan Express is team visited the Kalka-Shimla railway for a week
INR 630 per passenger (one way) irrespective of to inspect it for possible selection as a World
age. Tourists visiting Shimla can board the train Heritage Site. And then on 8th July, 2008, it became
from Kalka station at 7:00 am in the morning that part of the Mountain Railways of India World
will reach Shimla by 12:55 pm. In return, the train Heritage Site along with the Nilgiri Mountain
from Shimla departs at 3:50 pm and reaches Kalka Railways and Darjeeling Himalayan.
by 9:15 pm. En-route the train stops at Barog Shimla has never failed to charm the tourists,
station in both directions. especially during the winter season. To this, the
Indian Railways on 18th December, 2019 has added
Max Permissible Speed: 25 km/hr cherry on top by introducing the ‘Him Darshan
TYPE: Departs @ 07:00 Arrives @ 12:55 Express’ tourist special train on the UNESCO
Hill Train Platform# -- Platform# -- Heritage Kalka-Shimla route. The train comprises
Rake
ZONE: S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 7 coaches including six first-class AC vistadome
NR/Northern KLK/Kalka SML/Shimla coaches and one first-class sitting cum luggage room
1 halts. 17 intermediate Stations coach. Earlier this year, the Railways has put only
between Kalka and Shimla one see-through vistadome coach, but in view of the
huge response from the travellers coming to explore
WARNING: TRAIN NOT RUNNING. Himachal Pradesh, the entire tourist train has
(Only Covid Special Trains are running during the vistadome coaches to offer travellers a pano­ramic
Pandemic) Please check RLY TIME TABLE. view of the hills and surrounding villages.

Everything You Need to Know about Him Darshan

Express
Him Darshan Express is the first train
introduced by Indian Railways comprising all
vistadome coaches to run on a regular basis and

History of Kalka-Shimla Railway

Right after the first Anglo-Gurkha war, Shimla,
(earlier called as Simla) was established by the
British. And it was in the year 1864, Shimla became
the summer capital of the British Empire. Not just
this, but the hill station even served as the British holds a capacity of over 100 passengers. The interiors
army’s headquarters. The only snag during that time of the coaches are tastefully decorated and offer the
was the connectivity to reach Shimla from Calcutta travellers an opportunity to be close to nature.
(now called Kolkata). The mode of trans­portation
was horses and ox-drawn carts that traversed the What are the Amenities Provided in the Train?
mountain terrains and that was unsteady, According to sources, the seats in all the coaches
dangerous and took a long-long amount of time. are adjustable to enhance the overall travel
So, it was in the year 1903 when Kalka-Shimla experience of sightseeing from inside the train. The
narrow gauge was started for easy and quick access coaches are modernized and sufficiently equipped
to Shimla which was referred to as the ‘British with things like modular type switches and sockets
Jewel of the Orient’ for easy and quick access to for LED lightings and charging, provision of
Shimla. The maiden toy train journey on the Kalka- lavatory and more.
Shimla route was undertaken by the then Viceroy
of India, Lord Curzon and since then, the train has How to Make a Reservation?
been operating regularly and has become an iconic You can book the tickets for Him Darshan
symbol of Shimla and one of the attractions of Express via Passenger Reservation System (PRS).
Himachal tourism cherished by both locals as well Besides, other online booking modes are also
as tourists. available.

60 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 TOURISM
History of Kalka-Shimla Railway narrow-gauge railway in North India travelling
Right after the first Anglo-Gurkha war, Shimla, along mostly mountainous route from Kalka to
(earlier called as Simla) was established by the Shimla. It is known for panoramic views of the hills
British. And it was in the year 1864, Shimla became and surrounding villages.
the summer capital of the British Empire. Not just
this, but the hill station even served as the British Other Trains and Their Timings
army’s headquarters. The only snag during that time There are other trains available for those
was the connectivity to reach Shimla from Calcutta looking for travelling on the Kalka-Shimla Railway
(now called Kolkata). The mode of trans­portation route. The train booking can either be done at a
was horses and ox-drawn carts that trav­ersed the railway station counter or via PRS.
mo­untain terrains and that was unsteady,
dangerous and took a long-long amount of time.

Seating capacity
The ‘Him Darshan’ train has a seating capacity
So, it was in the year 1903 when Kalka-Shimla of over 100 passengers and the bookings are full
narrow gauge was started for easy and quick access over the next few days in view of the peak tourist
to Shimla which was referred to as the ‘British season and New Year being round the corner.
Jewel of the Orient’ for easy and quick access to This will be the first train of the Indian Railways
Shimla. The maiden toy train journey on the Kalka- having all vistadome coaches to run on a regular
Shimla route was undertaken by the then Viceroy basis on the concept of individual seat charter
of India, Lord Curzon and since then, the train has services through passenger reservation system and
been operating regularly and has become an iconic other online modes.
symbol of Shimla and one of the attractions of Six trains normally run between Kalka and
Himachal tourism cherished by both locals as well Shimla every day. ‘Toy train’ is the popular name
as tourists. for it.
Later, on 11th September, 2007, a UNESCO With a view to promote tourism and provide a
team visited the Kalka-Shimla railway for a week delightful experience to the passengers on the
to inspect it for possible selection as a World world heritage Kalka-Shimla section, the Ambala
Heritage Site. And then on 8th July, 2008, it became division of the Northern Railway has decided to
part of the Mountain Railways of India World run the special train. This will be the first train of
Heritage Sites along with the Nilgiri Mountain the Indian Railways having all vistadome coaches
Railways and Darjeeling Himalayan. to run on a regular basis on the concept of individual
seat charter services through passenger reservation
About Kalka system and other online modes
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of
Haryana, India. The name of this town is derived Panoramic view
from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the The train will run from the Kalka station at 7
foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the a.m. in the morning and will reach Shimla at 12.55
neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. Kalka p.m. In the return direction, the train will depart
railway station is the northern terminal of the from Shimla at 3.50 p.m. and will reach Kalka at
Delhi-Kalka line of Northern Railway, Indian Rail 9.15 p.m. It will stop at the Barog station enroute
(Station code KLK) is serving as terminal station in both directions. The Train comprises seven
for broad gauge line (towards Chandigarh) and coaches i.e. six First Class air-conditioned
narrow gauge line (towards Shimla). The Kalka vistadome coaches and one First Class coach.
Shimla Railway features on the UNESCO’s World Each vistadome coach will have the capacity of 15
Heritage sites list as the Mountain Railways of people, while the First Class coach has the seating
India. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a 2 ft 6 inches capacity of 14 passengers. Booking for the vistadome

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 61

 TOURISM

Here are six facts you must know about the coaches that are likely to take your breath away
ll Plush interiors. This is the first project of its side door for Divyangs, GPS based info
kind in India. system, LED lights and more.
ll One of the stand-out features of the Vistadome ll The train, which was flagged off by the rail­
coaches is the glass roof that boasts of elect­ ways minister, is currently running on a trial
rically controlled opalescence. Hence, the roof basis. Only after ensuring that they are able
can be made transparent for the passengers to run in top condition, will an inauguration
to get a panoramic view of their journey. In date be fixed. For now, they are being attached
case passengers want a better view, they can to the Kothavalasa-Kirandul passenger train
head to the special observation lounges. every day at 7.15 am.
ll All the seats in the vistadome coaches are ll The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai,
rota­table and are pushback chairs. This is Tamil Nadu built the coaches. There will be
once again to enable the passengers to take a total of four of such coaches in the whole of
full advantage of the spectacular panoramic India for now.
views that the coaches have to offer. Two will ply in Araku and two have been

ll The coaches also boast of a plethora of other built for Kashmir. The first of these coaches
features such as automatic sliding compa­ has already been flagged off in Araku with
rtment doors, multiple television screens the second one becoming functional by the
providing infotainment to passengers, wide end of this month.

coaches will be available through the passenger Commuters travelling in Him Darshan Express
reservation system, but booking for the First Class will enjoy the beautiful scenic view of the Himalayas
coach of this special train will only be done through as the train will have swanky Vistadome AC
manual counters available at the Kalka and Shimla coaches with glass roof. Modified in carriage and
stations. wagon depot at Kalka, this is a first-of-its-kind
You can pay for the food separately as it is not train on the Kalka-Shimla route. The train will
included in the price of Him Darshan Express rail have seven coaches including one first-class sitting
ticket. Thali meals, combos, beverages and different cum luggage room coach (FCZLR) and six first
varieties of snacks are available. There are a class AC Vistadom coaches. With the new modern
number of ways to order food on your train journey. design, the Vistadome coaches will feature top
You can book a meal in the Indian Railways by modified windows and air conditioning system,
calling at 1323, text to 139 or by visiting online modern windows and LED bulbs. Along with the
IRCTC website and through pantry car. There are new window blinds, there will be cushioned wooden
many hotels in Shimla near Shimla Railway interiors for a comfortable journey.
Station where you can choose to stay. Each Vistadome coach will have a seating
In a Christmas gift for its passengers, Indian capacity of 15 persons, including five window seats
Railways today unveiled Him Darshan Express on both sides. The first-class coach can accommodate
comprising all-new Vistadome coaches from Kalka 14 passengers.
railway station to Shimla. This special train will Him Darshan Express will be the first-ever
commute between the Kalka and Shimla station train with Vistadome coaches by the Indian
for the next one year till 24th December, 2021. Railways that will run on a regular basis. The

62 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

 TOURISM
train will follow the concept of individual seat pristine villages and much more.
charter services via Passenger Reservation System At Kalka, the train runs 640 m above sea level
(PRS) and various other online modes. and it reaches 2,060 m above sea level when it
While the Him Darshan Express will start its reaches Shimla. The train also runs through pine
journey from Kalka station at 7 am, the train will forests, sceneries of Shivaliks and others. Thanks
reach Shimla at 12.55 pm. It will take 5 hours 25 to the panoramic view, you can enjoy breathtaking
minutes to complete one-way journey. While sceneries throughout your journey. The train takes
returning, the train will leave Shimla at 3.50 pm a little more than 5 hours to reach the destinations
and reach Kalka at 9.15 pm. This is the shortest and thus you can have five hours of beautiful
route between Shimla and Kalka, claimed Indian sightseeing experience.
Railways. If you ever find yourself travelling by the newly
flagged-off vistadome coaches between Vishakha­
patnam and Araku one of these days, you will be
Sightseeing from Him Darshan Express forgiven for thinking that you are suddenly in
The seats in the coaches are reversible to adjust Europe. That’s because the vistadome coaches, the
the seat in the direction of the train. This gives a first of their kind in India, have a host of features
comfortable view for sightseeing from inside the that won’t be out of place in one of the top of the
train. As the train runs between Kalka and Shimla, line trains you would find plying through the Swiss
the tourists can enjoy green meadows, valleys, alps.

POEM POEM
Twilight
Once, lone and wondering, tired
Character's Identity I was sitting on the sandy seashore
The Character wants to dance, Like of Puri -
The Character wants to sing, Just before the twilight
It wants to stay happy,
rather being sad by remembering things. Being invited by melancholy; and
The Character is lonely, Silence, like a shameless mistress
It wants to do something unique,
Embraced me while her breast
But it is not its fault,
It is too shy and meek. On my back, pressed, and her
The Character knows boxing, Dancing hairs playing on my sweaty face!
but has no guts to step in the ring,
It is not so famous,
Nor is he flourished with bling. She raised her rosy pointer finger
The Character wants to be friendly, Towards the drowning sun whose
that’s is what he wants to pretend,
But it has to make some efforts, Heart was burst and all the pearls
to meet the two ends. Of my sorrows danced on the
The Character is a diamond, Waved blood of the sun before it
which scratches every other stone,
It needs to develop its personality, Sunk defeated in the black womb
Though he is unknown.
Of the night!
Discover your internal character,
And the lone and sole silence raised to
give your soul a call,
blessed me whispered!
Let it be the mantra for your success,
before it becomes the reason of your fall.
Shri Apurba Kumar Chakravorty
Kavyayini Singh (Retited SMM/APDJ/N.F.Railway)

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 63

 From the Archive

64 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021

The article of the then CRB in the 1st issue of ‘Indian Railways’ magazine published in April 1956

FEBRUARY 2021 I Indian Railways I 65

 EN50121-4
compliant

Critical communication made easy

Meet the increased demands on safety and operational efficiency within large
public transport systems with the TetraFlex® TETRA radio infrastructure.

TetraFlex® is designed to provide The easily accessible API enables Trusted by industry leaders worldwide
reliable, fast and disruption-free TETRA seamless integration with other system TetraFlex® Solutions have been deployed
data and voice communication for environments such as dispatcher for a wide range of projects within the
mission critical operations. solutions. transport and logistics sector, including:

TetraFlex® features a fully distributed TetraFlex® is available with both indoor • Western Railway
network architecture and is 100% IP base stations, as well as the IP65 • Nagpur Metro
based, giving full flexibility in site and protected and compact outdoor base • St. Petersburg Citywide Network
capacity expansions - even during stations, providing high flexibility in • Fortescue Metal Group Railway
operation. installation. • Almaty Metro

DAMM solutions and support are available in India through our Authorized Partner Consort Digital.

www.consortdigital.com www.dammcellular.com

66 I Indian Railways I FEBRUARY 2021