National
Railways revise station categories to improve services
New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) In a bid to provide better passenger services and amenities at railway stations across the country, the Railways on Thursday said that it has revised categories of various stations.
The major policy decision was taken with a view to make it more practical and rational, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.
The step comes after Railways and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal directed the re-categorisation taking into account “earnings, passenger footfall, strategic importance” to provide more effective and focused services.
“The criteria for categorisation of stations have now been revised to include footfalls at the station. The stations have been clubbed into three groups — non-suburban (NS), suburban (S) and Halt (H),” the statement said.
“These groups have further been put in grades ranging from NSG 1-6, SG 1-3 and HG 1-3, respectively,” it said.
The Ministry said it would help the passengers to have a better experience in relation to travel amenities at stations.
Earlier, passenger earnings, mainly earned through platform tickets, was the main criterion for classification.
All stations were clubbed in categories such as A1, A, B, C, D, E and F on the basis of passenger earnings.
According to the Ministry, earlier the number of stations with high passenger footfalls (handling high number of commuter and MST pass holders) could not be converted into the higher category of stations which led to their being eligible only for a lower level of amenities.
“As per the new criteria the number of footfalls has also been given equal weightage and is taken into account as criteria for categorisation of stations.
“Therefore, many stations like Kalyan, Panvel, Tambaram, Thane have qualified into the higher category and become eligible for higher level of passenger amenities,” the Ministry said.
Presently, there are 5,976 Non-Suburban Railway Stations, 484 Suburban Railway Stations and 2,153 Halts, which puts the total number of stations at 8,613.
“This categorisation of stations has been done for the period 2017-18 to 2022-23,” it said.
The railway stations with an earning of Rs 500 crore and handling more than 20 million passengers will be in the NSG 1 category.
While in the NSG 2 category will be those stations with Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore earning and handling of passengers between 10 to 20 million.
The Ministry also said that General Managers would have powers to categorise a station as NSG-4 “if it is a place of tourist importance and/or is an important junction station”.
It also gave the General Managers full power to sanction out-of-turn safety related works such as foot overbridge, high level platform and trolley path for movement of wheel chairs without any limit.
“These amenities will be provided at all the stations irrespective of their category for safe performance of journey by passengers,” it said.
For improving stations and passenger interfaces, amenities like waiting halls, platform shelters, lifts, escalators, digital charts display, illumination and the train/coach indication board have been provided to the lower category stations.
“Even the small stations will get the higher level of amenities which will lead to better passenger satisfaction,” it added.
–IANS
aks/in/bg
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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