Category: Nagpur Local

Nagpur: The Nagpur station has been shut with bare minimum staff manning the station for operating some non-passenger coaching and freight trains and for security.
On Tuesday, around a dozen long-distance coaching trains passed through Nagpur to reach their originating stations for primary maintenance. One reason for the return of trains was lack of space at the end stations where these trains had reached before the withdrawal of operations. “This was done for rake balancing,” says ACM (Goods) SG Rao.

With the suspension of train operations, mechanical department’s role now is crucial in maintaining trains that have been held up in the yard. Railway Board on Tuesday issued an advisory asking to avoid congregation of people and regulate the working of coaching depots.
Senior divisional mechanical engineer (SrDME) Akhilesh Choubey said, “Timings of most of the trains originating from Nagpur are in the evening. Hence, these can be maintained in the morning the same day after orders to restart operations are issued. As of now all these trains have been locked and stationed in the yard.”
“We are focusing on freight train maintenance now for which teams have been segregated for social distancing. In-office also not more than 5% of staff is working. The contractual staff has been sent home after sanitizing entire station, waiting for halls and rooms etc,” he added.
Officials said Indian Railways is working 24X7 to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities across the nation. Commodities like foodgrains, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, onions, fruits and vegetables, petroleum products, coal etc are being loaded at railway terminals.
Nagpur being a coal loading division, no essential commodities are being loaded here.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, passenger train operations across the country have been suspended till March 31, 2020. During the situation of lockdown in various states, railways staff deployed at various good sheds, stations and control offices is working to ensure the supply of essential items does not get affected.
Officials said on March 23, 2020, 474 rakes were loaded for essential commodities like food grains, salt, edible oil, sugar, milk, fruits & vegetables, onion, coal and petroleum products.
During the day total, 891 rakes were loaded in the country, which also includes other important commodities like 121 rakes of iron ore, 48 rakes of steel, 25 rakes of cement, 28 rakes of fertilizer, 106 container rakes etc
“Close coordination is being maintained with the state governments so that rakes of essential commodities are handled smoothly without any delay, amid various restriction imposed in the wake of Covid-19,” they said.
Meanwhile, like administrative and other staff, trackmen have also demanded alternative day working considering the threat to them while working in groups. TOI found these trackmen sit together to have food during break and social distancing is not maintained.
In another development, the All India Guards Council (AIGC) has demanded to stop of biometric attendance and start signing off by using ID and password, providing good quality hand wash, hygiene at the lobby, isolating and disinfecting all beds at running rooms, sanitizing brake vans of goods train at every station.

Nagpur: Noor unexpectedly found himself helpless from last Sunday, when the road that had been his home was abandoned after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Janata Curfew. The mentally unstable man, who had been on the road outside the Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) for almost a year, used to feel at home on the footpath.

Barely able to say his name, Noor had become a familiar face for street vendors who not only provided him with food, clothes but also arranged bedding for him on the footpath. Everything changed, however, after the lockout was extended.

After Sunday, a confused Noor has been seen spending his time alone, hoping for help from his parents. Most such homeless people like him can be seen spending their lives on the footpath of Khamla Square, Sitabuldi, Alankar Square and other areas. Interestingly, pavement dwellers are still on the streets despite almost half of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) beds— five homeless shelters remain empty.

As per NMC officials, there are only 112 beds in all five shelters, which means 108 are still empty.

Nevertheless, some NGOs argued that these shelters allow only men to enter while families are forbidden, which is precisely why these migrants have been seen walking along the roads with their wives and children.

“As the world is trapped in the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve been undertaking a three-way awareness drive related to deadly disease— University Library Square, Yeshwant Stadium and Santra Market— where families usually live,” Kiran Kalantari, a founder of Upay City NGO, who has worked for homeless children for many years, told TOI.

A collective of 10 to 15 families living near University Library Square earns a living by selling home decoration pieces. The NGO’s assistance came as a timely bonus to them, as they had lost their only source of income since the lockdown had been implemented. “The NGO leaders are helping us out not only by providing food for at least three days but also by providing liquid soaps and masks to all of us,” said Shankar Chakar, one of the pavement dwellers.

Kalantari said that Upay was in communication with several other NGOs for providing ration and other regular necessities to homeless people in the region.

In a press release, the NMC instructed its officials to provide free food to shelter inmates. In addition, if any of them have symptoms such as cough, cold, fever and trouble breathing, proper treatment should be given and sent to the test centres if the condition is severe.

“Inmates have also been advised on how to practice hygiene and wash their hands with soap at regular intervals to protect themselves from the disease. Masks were also distributed after hearing of their value, “the press release said.