BMC has decided to install CCTV cameras at chronic waterlogging areas in Mumbai in what it claims is an attempt to circumvent "unreliable" media coverage of the problem.
BMC will install cameras at Hindmata Circle, Maratha Mandir, Nana Chowk, Sakhubai Mohite Marg, Gawade Chowk, near Parel TT flyover, Sewri cross road close to Sewri railway station and Mukhyadhyapak Bhavan near Sion bus depot in the island city. It will install a CCTV camera at Kurla shed in the eastern suburbs. Two cameras will be installed on bridges at BKC and Kranti Nagar to monitor Mithi river.
"Based on TV reports, we dispatch our personnel to the areas where there is waterlogging. However, in many cases, footage shown on TV is old. Hence, we have decided to invest in our CCTV cameras," said...
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deputy municipal commissioner and chief engineer of the storm water drains department, L S Vhatkar.
The civic body will also connect footage from Mumbai Traffic Police's 80 cameras at various junctions. "Not all of these are flood-prone spots but they will help us track other areas that report waterlogging," Vhatkar said.
BMC has listed 17 days between June 23 and September 20 when high tides are expected. The highest tide of almost 5 m is expected June 25.
The corporation will share these dates with Mumbai University and corporate houses so that appropriate measures are taken on the days when a tide of over 4.5 m is expected.

When a 24-year-old woman commuter called the Government Railway Police (GRP) helpline after being hit by a stone while travelling in a local train in Thane, she was told there was nothing that could be done.
The apathetic behaviour of the GRP comes on the heels of an incident that took place last week, when some police officials discouraged Prisca Moniz, 45, from lodging a complaint against a tout.
In the latest example of police indifference, the victim, Apurva Gaikwad, 24, was returning to her Badlapur residence in a fast local at around 7.53pm. Gaikwad was standing near the door in the coach adjacent to the motorman’s when the train crossed a tunnel near Diva station.
“The moment the train crossed the tunnel,...
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someone hurled a stone at the coach that hit me after hitting the iron-rod. I sustained an injury on my nose and began to feel dizzy. The women in the compartment held me and provided water,” Gaikwad told HT on Saturday.
As the train stopped at Dombivli, she approached the motorman for help. “The motorman laughed it off saying he could not do anything and asked me to get my nose checked by a doctor,” Gaikwad said. The attendant who answered the GRP helpline number claimed similar helplessness, saying she should contact the Thane GRP.
“It was appalling to get such a negative response from the attendant. I found no point arguing and disconnected the call,” said Gaikwad.
She continued the journey with a bleeding nose and received first aid from a local doctor.
When contacted, GS Bhandare, deputy commissioner of police, GRP, said, “The woman should have filed an FIR at the Thane police station after which action would have been taken against the assailant. We cannot conduct any inquiry against police personnel over the allegation unless there is an FIR.”
Bhandare said the GRP helpline is there to guide victims through the process of registering a complaint. “If the woman is grievously injured and admitted to the hospital, we could send a police constable to record her statement,” said Bhandar

Known for gathering funds to build educational institutes for the poor by asking for vidya daan (education alms) on the city’s local trains, professor Sandeep Desai was in for a rude shock on Friday night when the railway protection force (RPF) arrested him on charges of begging and causing nuisance.
Desai, 53, was travelling on a local train when two policemen, who boarded the train at Andheri, quizzed him about his charity box. “The inspector said they needed to inquire if I am a fraud,” Desai told HT. Desai said he showed them newspaper articles on his work and provided them with documents of his trust.
The officials, however, took him to the station master’s office at Santacruz. “One more policeman was called there and a case was filed against...
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me for begging, causing nuisance and not co-operating with them,” said Desai. “I paid the fine the court asked me to.”
“While Desai claims that he is collecting alms for charity, he should have taken permission from the railway administration. Otherwise, he is liable to be arrested under relevant sections of the Railways Act,” senior divisional security commissioner of Western Railway, Rajendra Rupnawar, told HT.
Rupnawar, however, said he would check the case details and order an inquiry if required. He said the police regularly took action against people found begging on trains.
Desai was booked under sections 144(B) (punishment for begging), 145 (causing nuisance) and 146 (obstructing a railway servant in his duties) of the Railways Act

HYDERABAD: Railways, they say is the lifeline of India and movie makers taking a cue from the line are making a beeline to Andhra Pradesh's railway stations with a camera crew in tow.
The state which has some scenic railway stations, is witnessing an increased preference among production houses, preferring to shoot at the age-old stations these days.
Having witnessed an upward trend last year in the number of film shoots at railway stations and those featuring trains, South Central Railway (SCR) authorities are buoyed and are hoping that 2013 will see more trains chugging into Tollywood and also help them rake in more revenue.
Till the late 1990s, films were regularly shot at rail stations, but once Ramoji film...
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city came up, production houses flocked to the artificial settings. But with new-age film makers keen on realism, they are coming back to AP stations, much to the delight of the railways.
Authorities granted permission to 20 films in 2012 of which eight used a special train provided by the authorities exclusively for movies. The films earned the railways Rs 75.4 lakh as against Rs 64.8 lakh earned in 2011, when 15 films were permitted by SCR.
This month, shooting is already underway for two movies and the weekend saw Ravi Teja starrer Balupu being shot at Lingampalli railway station.
"Every movie has a train which viewers easily recognize. A set may not be able to offer genuine railway experience which film buffs can easily identify with. Besides film-makers from within the state, production houses from Chennai are also approaching us," said chief public relations officer K Sambasiva Rao.
"Kacheguda for a city setting and Vikarabad for a rustic background are the preferred locations," he said. The railway authorities were approached by Chennai-based production houses for six films last year. In April, Tamil movie Biryani was shot at the Kacheguda railway station, which is most sought-after, due to its heritage structure.
The industry concurs with these observations. Film director Teja, who in 2002 made the Telugu blockbuster Jayam, noted for its songs featuring trains, said the desire for authenticity pushes a film-maker to shoot at railway premises, despite procedural difficulties.
"Every individual connects with a train. Despite improvement in visual effects, the keen film-maker opts for a real railway station and train if authenticity is utmost desired," he said, adding that nowadays getting permission for film shoots using trains has become a daunting process.
"For the train experience, we have no choice but to shoot at railway station. We can just show a standard coach on a set, but cannot show trains like MMTS," said producer Suresh Babu, adding "We are likely to see a lot of stories involving Metro Rail once it is launched".
A production house submits the portion of the script which involves trains or railways to officials who check to make sure that the scenes do not cause passenger inconvenience and do not portray railways in bad light.
For shooting on railway premises without the use of train, the authorities charge a license fee ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh per day depending on the city or the location of the station.
If the script demands, a special five coach train is arranged at a cost of Rs 2.2 lakh a day. Above that, a refundable security deposit of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh has to be furnished.
"Nowadays, we issue permissions within a week All hassles to procure permissions have been addressed which is drawing production houses from other states. Manpower is given where required to film units and one of our staff is always there during the shoot," said CPRO Rao.

The train services from Medawachchiya to the Madhu Road station on the northern railway track was inaugurated by Minister for Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa and Minister of Transport, Kumara Welgama, last week.The segment which covers 43 kilometres of the 252-kilometre project was completed on schedule by Ircon International, a government of India undertaking, at a cost of $ 81.3 m. Chairman and Managing Director of Ircon International India, Mohan Tiwari was present.
The train reached the Madhu Road station at 11.00 hours. The Ministers and outgoing Indian High Commissioner, Ashok K. Kantha unveiled a plaque at the newly constructed Madhu Road station platform and thereafter hoisted the flags of their countries, followed by the Sri Lankan and Indian National Anthems.
Minister Basil Rajapaksa said this was the fulfillment of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's...
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vision of bringing peace and prosperity to all communities in Sri Lanka.
General Manager Ircon International, S L Gupta said, “For the completion of the project, we used manpower from India and Sri Lanka. For the sophisticated track construction operations, specialised agencies and machines from the Indian Railway were used.
We generated employment for the local population and approximately 1,000 local employees directly and 2,500 Sri Lankans indirectly are employed in the project”.
Chairman and Managing Director, Ircon International Limited, Mohan Tiwari said that the other segments of the project are progressing well and will be completed on schedule. He said that it was their intention to open the Omanthai-Killinochchi section of 62 kilometers by July 2013.

NEW DELHI: Observing that granting relief would have "demoralizing" effect on those who work "honestly", a trial court on Saturday dismissed the bail plea of one of the accused in Rs 10-crore railway bribery case in which former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew was also arrested.
Special CBI judge Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected the bail plea of Dharmender Kumar, observing that he and co-accused Vivek Kumar had full knowledge of what they were delivering and that such a huge amount cannot be for legal purpose.
"Accused Dharmender and Vivek were told about the persons to whom the amount was to be paid and they had full knowledge about what they were carrying and should have known that so much amount which was being sent through them cannot be for...
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a legal purpose. Granting bail in such case will have demoralizing effect on the persons who want to pursue their business honestly," the judge said.
The court also observed that it is a premature stage for grant of bail as the investigation has just begun and one of the accused, Sushil Dagga, is absconding and incriminating material and documents are yet to be seized. "One of the accused, i.e, accused Sushil Dagga, who is also a railway contractor, for whom accused Vivek was working, is absconding. Incriminating documents and articles are yet to be seized from accused Sushil Dagga and, therefore, it is premature stage to grant bail to accused," the court said.
Senior public prosecutor Akshay Gautam opposed the bail plea of Dharmender, saying he and Vivek were among the conspirators in the case and "it would be a travesty of justice to show

Railway employees involved in ticket malpractices have outnumbered touts by a good margin.
In a vigilance drive carried out during the ongoing summer rush at different Northern Railway locations, 116 touts were caught between March 1 and May 17. But the number of railway staff found involved in ticket malpractices during the same period stands at 252.
This has come in less than a month after a draft report of Parliament's public accounts committee (PAC) sought action against railway staff conniving with touts.
The report said illegal, bulk booking of tickets by agents continues due to "active connivance" of railway staff manning the passenger reservation system.
Information provided by the Northern Railway says...
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its vigilance squads found 21 authorised travel agents over-charging, issuing tickets during banned hours and not maintaining records.
As many as 10 unauthorised agents were also caught. Five passengers were found travelling on transferred tickets.
These checks were carried out at reservation centres, platforms, parcel offices, catering units and on trains.
"A large number of cases of tickets booked in fictitious names were also detected. Many such were recovered from unauthorised travel agents. Action has been initiated against all railway staff, agents and touts," said a senior railway official.
The 116 apprehended touts were prosecuted by railway magistrates under section 143/144 of Railways Act 1989. The drive will continue to check such malpractices, the official said.
The Northern railway arrested 74 persons from its premises for being involved in ticket touting during 118 raids conducted ahead of the Holi rush from March 1 to March 20.
Raids were also conducted on the premises of authorised and unauthorised ticket agencies to prevent blocking of reservations under fictitious names and subsequent sale of transferred tickets. During these checks, 52 touts and seven agents were caught.
The PAC report says genuine users for whom Tatkal and advance reservation system was intended were unable to benefit with ease because of the manipulation

Developing rail connectivity to Goa's major towns and tourist spots from the existing North-South Konkan railway route is being considered by the state government to improve the public transport system.
This connectivity is expected to feature in an integrated transportation system plan for which the government has invited applications for a consultant. Sources said that once appointed, the consultant will be given a detailed layout of Goa's problems, vis-a-vis roads, railways and waterways, and will be asked for solutions and even alternatives.
Confirming the move, chief secretary B Vijayan told STOI, "As of now there are only broad ideas and these will be discussed with the consultant once appointed. The government wants to come out with a comprehensive long-term plan on public transport and not one on a piecemeal basis."
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He added that the state had written to the Union urban development ministry about having a comprehensive public transport plan in place for Goa and the ministry had written back asking the state to appoint a consultant.
Elaborating that the consultant would have to explain the best ways of utilizing the Konkan railway route as well as the state's waterways for an improved public transport, Vijayan said the feasibility and viability of every suggestion would also have to be detailed.
The state is hoping for rail connectivity options between existing stations of the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) and major towns and tourist spots, for example between Tivim or Pernem stations and Mapusa, Calangute or Anjuna; Karmali station and Panaji; and westwards of Margao station. Connectivity on the eastern side of the state is also being sought. And sources said the state might even consider a line to the proposed Mopa airport. For routes where a rail line will not be feasible, the government is open to the idea of a monorail, said sources.
Experts warned that while the idea of rail linkages sounds practical, the actual implementation would be challenging because of the agencies that would be ultimately involved. Apart from the KRC, the state would require the cooperation of its neighbouring states and maybe even the south central railway. The electrification and even doubling of the existing KRC line between Pernem and Canacona would also have to be considered.
Funds too would be an issue for this mega project, and the state would have to procure the same from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), they felt.

BOKARO: Bokaro railway station, which has seen a remarkable increase in the number of passengers in the last few years, will soon get vigilance gadgets. Adra Railway Division is set to install CCTVs and other security gadgets at Bokaro railway station. A team of railway officials recently visited Bokaro station for the same. Bokaro station is the highest revenue earner in this division.
B K Manjhi, senior divisional commercial manager at Adra division, said CCTVs will soon be installed at Bokaro railway station for better security measures. The points where CCTV cameras will be installed have been identified. Besides, metal detectors will also be set up at the entrance gate of the station to keep a check on passengers. Luggage scanners will also be set up.
To check goods carried by passenger...
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scanners will be set up for scanning the luggage and other items of passengers. This would enhance security level at Bokaro railway station

JAMSHEDPUR: Amid reports of bona fide passengers encountering problems in reserving tickets under the tatkal ticket reservation system at railway booking counters in the city, the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway (SER) zone has decided to crack the whip on the offenders that include touts and booking clerks.
The commercial department has announced that two CRPF men along with commercial inspection department personnel, will be deployed at the three booking centres in the city and at the Tatanagar station ticket reservation counter, to keep an eye on touts during the opening hours of the ticket booking duration.
"In some cases, we have found that within 30 minutes of opening of the ticket booking counter, tatkal tickets are completely sold out (whereas the stipulated period for tatkal ticket booking is two...
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hours i.e., from 10 to 12 in the morning), suggesting that there is some kind of mischief at play," said K N Biswas, senior divisional commercial manager.
The CRPF men will be deployed to keep an eye on the berth seekers at the booking counter from now on. "In addition to this, regular checks will be conducted by senior officials at reservation offices particularly during opening hours, to keep a strict vigil on the touts and other unscrupulous elements," said Biswas.
He added booking clerks will be asked to keep their phones switched off during tatkal booking hours. "We will issue tokens to the passengers in queue, who in turn will be called for tatkal reservation, according to his/her turn and will be entertained only after s/he produces a valid identity proof," said a senior rail official. Officials said some agents demand a service charge of anything between Rs 500-Rs 900 per ticket to get confirmed bookings under the tatkal scheme.

AGARTALA, May 18 (IANS): Due to lack of funds, several national railway projects in southern Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states would be delayed by a year, an official said here Saturday.
"Railway officials at a meeting here told Tripura government (officials) that the gauge conversion works, extension of railway lines in southern Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states would be delayed by a year due to scarcity of funds," a Tripura official told reporters.
Quoting the railway officials, he said: "Now the gauge conversion works between Lumding (200 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati)-Agartala, Agartala-Sabroom (in southern Tripura) railway extension and other railway projects would be completed in March 2015, instead of March 2014."
The foundation stone for conversion of...
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Lumding-Agartala metre-gauge track to broad-gauge was laid by then prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda in January 1996.
The cost of the project has now mounted to Rs.2,800 crore from Rs.648 crore in 1996.
The broad-gauge railway line from Guwahati passes through Lumding (in Assam's Nagaon district) which connects Tripura's capital Agartala and parts of Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam with the rest of India by a single 109-year-old metre-gauge railway track.
Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey said the gauge conversion work had started in 1996 beyond Lumding and Prime Minister Manmohan singh had declared it along with other nine projects as a national project many years back but progress of work is very slow due to various problems, including funds crisis and law and order in the region.
A meeting between the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, North East Frontier Railway (NFR) Lumding Divisional Manager Rakesh Goel and Chief Administrative Officer A.S. Garur was held here Saturday to review the on-going railway projects in the region.
According to the Tripura government official, the NFR officials told the meeting that a two-day meeting of the steering committee of the officials of India and Bangladesh would be held in Dhaka May 21-22 to expedite the work to set up a railway link between Tripura capital Agartala and Bangladesh's southeastern city of Akhaurah.
India and Bangladesh had signed a memorandum of understanding on Feb 16 in Dhaka to set up the new railway link between the two countries.
At a cost of Rs.271 crore, India will build a 15-km railway track linking Agartala with Akhaura which is an important railway junction connected to the Chittagong international port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka.
Out of the 15-km rail line, 5-km of track falls in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh.
Tripura chief minister requested the railway officials to accelerate the gauge conversion, new railway line set up works after managing the funds from the central government

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Officials described a devastating scene of shattered cars and other damage where two trains packed with rush-hour commuters collided in Connecticut, saying Saturday it's fortunate that no one was killed and that there weren't even more injuries. Seventy-two people were sent to the hospital Friday evening after the crash, which damaged the tracks and threatened to snarl travel in the Northeast Corridor. "The damage is absolutely staggering," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, describing the shattered interior of cars and tons of metal tossed around. "I feel that we are fortunate that even more injuries were not the result of this very tragic and unfortunate accident." U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy echoed that, saying it was "frankly amazing" people weren't killed on scene. Both said new Metro-North Railroad cars built with higher standards may have saved lives. Officials couldn't say when Metro-North service would be restored. The crash...
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also caused Amtrak to suspend service between New York and Boston. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said commuters should make plans for alternative travel through the area and urged them to consult the state Department of Transportation website for information. "I think this is going to be with us for a number of days," the governor said. National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived Saturday and are expected to be on site for seven to 10 days. They will look at the brakes and performance of the trains, the condition of the tracks, crew performance and train signal information, among other things. NTSB board member Earl Weener said he would not speculate on a cause for the collision. He said data recorders on board are expected to provide the speed of the trains at the time of the crash and other information. "Our mission is to understand not just what happened but why it happened and determine ways of preventing it from happening again," Weener said. Asked whether there were any signs of foul play and if investigators could rule out any cause, Weener said: "It's too early to rule out anything. We just got on scene. That, of course, will be something we look at immediately." But Blumenthal referred to the crash as an accident and Malloy said Friday there was no reason to believe it was anything other than that. About 700 people were on board the Metro-North trains when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to New Haven derailed at about 6:10 p.m. just outside Bridgeport, transit and Bridgeport officials said. Passengers described a chaotic, terrifying scene of crunching metal and flying bodies. "All I know was I was in the air, hitting seats, bouncing around, flying down the aisle and finally I came to a stop on one seat," said Lola Oliver, 49, of Bridgeport. "It happened so fast I had no idea what was going on. All I know is we crashed." The train was hit by a train heading west from New Haven to Grand Central on an adjacent track, Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Some cars on the second train derailed as a result of the collision. A spokeswoman for St. Vincent Medical Center said 46 people from the crash were treated there, with six of them admitted. All were in stable condition, she said. A Bridgeport Hospital spokesman said 26 people from the crash were treated there, with three of them admitted. Two were in critical condition and one was in stable condition, he said. The other 23 were released. Malloy said there was extensive damage to the train cars and the track. He said the accident will have a "big impact on the Northeast Corridor." Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said the disruption caused by the crash could cost the region's economy millions of dollars. "A lot of people rely on this, and we've got to get this reconnected as soon as possible," Finch said. Passenger Frank Bilotti said he was returning from a business trip in Boston on the westbound train when it crashed. "Everybody was pretty much tossed around," said Bilotti, 53, of Westport, who wasn't injured other than a sore neck. He said the derailed train cars dug into the banks of the tracks. "It was just a tremendous dust bowl," Bilotti said. Firefighters used ladders to help people evacuate, he said. "There were people on stretchers," he said. "There were people lying on the ground." Blumenthal credited first responders, saying their "quick reactions and heroic efforts undoubtedly saved lives." The area where the crash happened was already down to two tracks because of repair work, Malloy said. Crews have been working for a long time on the electric lines above the tracks, the power source for the trains. Malloy said Connecticut has an old system and no other alternate tracks. The MTA operates the Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation. The Metro-North main lines — the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven — run northward from New York City's Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn., and Susan Haigh in Fairfield, Conn., contributed to this report.

AGARTALA: India and Bangladesh Railway officials would meet in Dhaka on May 21 to review the progress of work in the railway link between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh, officials sources said today.
Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding on February 16 last for linking Agartala and Akhaura railway stations so that Bangladesh railways could be connected with the north eastern states of the country to avail the facilities of the international Chittagong Port.
The survey for laying 15 km track was completed a few months ago and now the process for laying tracks would begin on both the sides of the Indo-Bangla international border, Tripura Transport minister Manik De told PTI.
Total project cost for the project is Rs 271...
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crore which would be borne by India and of the 15 km track, only five km falls on the Indian side and the rest are in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, NF Railway officials informed the Tripura government that the work for gauge conversion from Lumding in Assam to Agartala would be delayed by a year due to paucity of funds.
Sources said, NF Railway officials during a review meeting on progress of the project with Tripura government informed that the project would be completed by March 2015 instead of March 2014 as appropriate fund was not allocated.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and was attended by North East Frontier Railway (NFR) Lumding Divisional Manager Rakesh Goel and Chief Administrative Officer A.S. Garur, state Transport Minister Manik De and Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury and state government officials.
The then prime minister H D Deve Gowda laid the foundation forconversion of Lumding-Agartala metre-gauge track to broad-gauge in January 1996.
The project cost now rose to Rs 2,800 crore from Rs 648 crore in 1996.

Agartala: Due to lack of funds, several national railway projects in southern Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states would be delayed by a year, an official said here Saturday. "Railway officials at a meeting here told Tripura government (officials) that the gauge conversion works, extension of railway lines in southern Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states would be delayed by a year due to scarcity of funds," a Tripura official told reporters. Quoting the railway officials, he said: "Now the gauge conversion works between Lumding (200 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati)-Agartala, Agartala-Sabroom (in southern Tripura) railway extension and other railway projects would be completed in March 2015, instead of March 2014." The foundation stone for conversion of Lumding-Agartala metre-gauge track to broad-gauge was laid by then prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda in January 1996.
The cost of the...
Read more...

project has now mounted to Rs.2,800 crore from Rs.648 crore in 1996. The broad-gauge railway line from Guwahati passes through Lumding (in Assam's Nagaon district) which connects Tripura's capital Agartala and parts of Manipur, Mizoram and southern Assam with the rest of India by a single 109-year-old metre-gauge railway track. Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey said the gauge conversion work had started in 1996 beyond Lumding and Prime Minister Manmohan singh had declared it along with other nine projects as a national project many years back but progress of work is very slow due to various problems, including funds crisis and law and order in the region.
A meeting between the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, North East Frontier Railway (NFR) Lumding Divisional Manager Rakesh Goel and Chief Administrative Officer A.S. Garur was held here Saturday to review the on-going railway projects in the region. According to the Tripura government official, the NFR officials told the meeting that a two-day meeting of the steering committee of the officials of India and Bangladesh would be held in Dhaka May 21-22 to expedite the work to set up a railway link between Tripura capital Agartala and Bangladesh's southeastern city of Akhaurah.
India and Bangladesh had signed a memorandum of understanding on Feb 16 in Dhaka to set up the new railway link between the two countries. At a cost of Rs.271 crore, India will build a 15-km railway track linking Agartala with Akhaura which is an important railway junction connected to the Chittagong international port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka. Out of the 15-km rail line, 5-km of track falls in the Indian territory and the remaining in Bangladesh. Tripura chief minister requested the railway officials to accelerate the gauge conversion, new railway line set up works after managing the funds from the central government.

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday dismissed the bail plea of an accused in the Rs 10-crore railway bribery case in which ex-Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew was among those arrested.   Special CBI Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected the bail plea of Dharmender Kumar after CBI contended that his release could adversely affect probe which was in initial stages.  
Dharmedra along with co-accused Vivek Kumar had allegedly delivered Rs 90 lakh, part of the Rs 10 crore bribe amount, to Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla in Chandigarh to get a plum post for a Railway Board official.  
"Arguments heard. Bail application dismissed," the judge said.   Senior Public Prosecutor Akshay Gautam, appearing for CBI, opposed the bail plea of Dharmender saying he and co-accused Vivek were well...
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aware of the purpose behind the delivery of money and to whom it was to be given and as such they were one of the conspirators in the case.   Considering the "gravity" of the offence, "it would be a travesty of justice to show mercy to them", the counsel for CBI said.  
"Any leniency shown to them would be misplaced," he added.   Gautam also said that the CBI investigation is in its initial stages and a lot of things are yet to be unearthed.  
"If they are granted bail, it would affect the probe of the agency," the prosecutor said.   He also said that the two 'couriers' had gone in two separate cars each with a bag containing Rs 45 lakh and the whole thing was well planned and organised and could not have been done without their knowledge.   Dharmendra's counsel said his client had no idea where exactly he h
ad to deliver the money, to whom and for what purpose when he and Vivek had left Delhi for Chandigarh.

Mumbai has some interesting museums. One dedicated to mothers, one on BEST buses and one that tells Mahatma Gandhi's life story using dolls.
CST heritage gallery:
The iconic UNESCO-listed building of Mumbai CST has a visitors’ lounge and visitors can take a walk in the heritage gallery. The locations that can be seen are Heritage Gallery (near cash office), Star Chamber, Grand Staircase, Lounge on II Floor, Forecourt. (No office areas).
Tickets:   Rs.100/- for students with Valid ID cards of the  College/School/University Rs.200/- for all other visitors.
Timings: 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm on working days (Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays closed)
Churchgate heritage gallery:
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The ground floor of the heritage headquarter building of Western Railway has a heritage gallery. It has several artefacts. The 2,184 sq ft gallery is home to a steam engine model, crockery & cutters of Bombay Baroda & Central India Railway (BB&CI) dating back to late 1800, trophies such as Challengers trophy – 1894, various signaling equipments, communication equipments, Manglore tiles of 1865 etc. used in early days of railways. It can be accessed with the permission of the public relations department of Western Railway.
Reserve Bank of India monetary museum: It has an attreactive collection of not just money, currency notes and coins, but also grains and shells that were once used as money. It also explains history of barter, exchange and currency and one can find rare notes and coins placed with explanatory notes.
Address: It is located at Amar Building, Pherozeshah Mehta Road, near RBI, Fort.  Website: museum.rbi.org.in 
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya: The city’s largest museum, formerly called the Prince of Wales Museum, was built in 1914. The Museum has a representative collection of various forms of art from India and to a certain extent, Far-Eastern art, Nepal and Tibet. The Natural History section is a major attraction for children.
Website: http://themuseummumbai.com/home.aspx
Mani Bhavan: Mani Bhavan is a simple old-style, two storied building on Laburnum Road, Mumbai. Whenever Gandhiji was in Mumbai between 1917 to 1934, he stayed here. It is now converted into a museum and research centre. The Museum is open on all the days of the week from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Website: http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/
Bhau Daji Lad Museum: The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum was established in 1872 as the erstwhile Victoria & Albert Museum, Bombay. It is Mumbai’s oldest museum and the third oldest in the country. The Museum’s collection includes the fine and decorative arts which showcases the importance of craftsmanship practiced by various communities of the Bombay Presidency. It also has an extraordinary collection of clay models and dioramas that document the life of the people of Mumbai and the history of the city in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Website: http://www.bdlmuseum.org/
BEST Museum: Set up in Anik bus depot off the eastern express highway, this museum takes you through a walkthrough of the city's transport history. Till recently, it displayed the tram-car, but now has on display chaisis of old double-decker buses, models of tram cars, uniforms, an old bell found while digging at a bus depot site and lost more. It also has those old devices that were used by bus conductors while giving tickets.
Address: BEST Museum, Third Floor, Anik Bus Depot, Sion, Mumbai 400022. 
Nehru Science Centre: Nehru Science Centre has more than 500 hands-on and interactive science exhibits on energy, sound, kinematics, mechanics, transport, etc. installed in the science park & different galleries. The NSC building with its unique architecture houses several permanent science expositions on various themes.
Website: http://www.nehrusciencecentre.gov.in/
Mother Museum: The Mother (Aai) museum showcases a collection of 100-year-old brass, wood and bone artifacts gathered from Maharashtra is dedicated to motherhood collected by  hotelier Vithal Kamat. Also on display are coconut scrapers, children's rattles and combs made of ivory and ebony. It is located adjacent to the domestic airport at Vile Parle. 
Website http://www.vithalkamat.com/about.html
 
Acworth Leprosy Museum: This museum documents the history of the disease. It has interesting artefacts including a report on Leprosy of the Royal College of Physicians Prepared for Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, London, leprosy in the British Empire.
Address: It is located inside the Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy, opposite Don Bosco Shelter, Wadala west. 
Website: http://www.theacworthleprosymuseum.org/
Archdiocesan Heritage Museum: An organisation set up by the Mumbai Archdiocese it has been collecting discarded artefacts from churches across Mumbai and restoring them.  Address: Goregaon east. Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, St Pius X College, Aarey Road, Goregaon (E)
Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum: The FD Alpaiwalla Museum was set up in 1954, and is dedicated to Mumbai’s Parsi community. It started out as a showcase for the artefacts that Alpaiwalla, a Parsi, who worked at the Zoroastrian Bank, collected from around the world. This is Mumbai’s only Parsi Community museum. Address: FD Alpaiwalla Museum, Khareghat Memorial Hall, Khareghat Colony, NS Patkar Marg, Kemps Corner 
Mobai Bhavan: It is the first museum in the city to showcase the culture of Mumbai’s East Indian inhabitants.The artefacts on display include tradition artefacts and equipment of daily use. It also shows photographs of traditional East Indian jewellery, clothes and wedding rituals.
Address: Mobai Bhavan, Theresa Villa, Manori-Gorai Road, Manori, Malad (W).

Hyderabad: The South Central Railway (SCR) plans to procure 200 more eco-friendly bio-toilets to provide the facility on more trains in the next few months. The decision was taken after successful trial of 48 bio-toilets fitted to the 17 coaches being run on Hyderabad-Mumbai Hussain Sagar Express and Kacheguda-Bangalore Express. Bio-toilets were developed jointly by Railway Research and Standard Organisation (RDSO) and Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE) for use in Indian Railways and are currently under trial in many of the zonal railways. SCR, which has its headquarters in Hyderabad, took a lead in the trial and provided the facility in two trains.
The bio-toilet, which has six compartments, uses inoculums (bacteria) to decompose the waste. The conventional toilets in the trains, by allowing human waste to fall on the tracks, cause unhygienic conditions and corrosion to track and coach fittings...
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endangering the safety. Passengers use toilets while trains are at platforms and the track get scattered with human excreta creating unpleasant situation for passengers on the platforms, said a statement from SCR on Friday. With the advent of bio-toilets, the railways have found an answer to the vexatious problem. The bio-toilet, which has six compartments, uses inoculums (bacteria) to decompose the waste. The waste from commode enters in to the bio-tank, (where the inoculums are stored), gets decomposed by the bacteria and next enters a chlorine. The output will be just water and gas. The railways have appealed to passengers not to dump plastic bottles, carry bags, cups, napkins and other material in bio-toilets as they get chocked and go out of order.

Wanderlust runs in the family. I grew up listening to railway tales from my now-deceased father.Often the dinner-table conversation was about sleeping on a bale of cotton at Ratlam station and how many pieces of luggage he still had to claim from railway cloakrooms. So, when an assignment to travel on the Vivek Express, for the longest train journey in India (from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari) came along, I jumped at it.The train ride was an eye-opener. City hacks like my photographer colleague Arijit Sen and I had very little idea about how the rest of India, the much dissected, cattle-class, travelled. Two steps into the general compartment, where 200 workers were crammed into a space meant for 90, and we knew how. Many from the North-East’s impoverished hill regions look southward to make a living. But the young are unfazed by the odds stacked against them. That was one of the...
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most inspiring bits of the journey. The other was listening to fellow travellers, trying to understand their worlds, wondering if our tracks would cross again.And no, I didn’t actually enquire about the luggage lying unclaimed in the cloakrooms. That’ll stay between Papa and the Railways.