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Railways to conduct Heavy-haul train trial in freight corridor on Sunday

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By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Expediting the much-delayed Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project, the railways will conduct a trial run of a goods train on the newly-completed 306 km section between Madar (Ajmer) in Rajasthan and Kishangarh (Rewari) in Haryana in the western segment on Sunday.

This section is a vital alignment on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor and aims to augment the transportation capacity of freight, besides hugely reducing the load on the existing rail network that is congested with passenger and goods traffic.

Equipped for heavy-haul train operation with 25 tonne axle loads for the first time in the country, the section contains 15 major bridges and 271 minor bridges and 177 Road Under Bridges (RUB).

Currently, Indian trains haul a 22.5 tonne axle load while heavy-haul operations are carried out only in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, China, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Norway.

The 306 km route has six newly-built freight stations – Dabla, Bhagega, Sri Madhopur, Pachar Malikpur, Sakhun and Kishangarh and three junctions – Rewari, Ateli and Phulera.

The DFC project is crucial for Indian Railways as it faces stiff competition from the road sector for the movement of goods. The shifting of goods from roads to rail will also save precious fossil fuel which will be a boon for the environment.

The Rs 81,400 crore DFC project had got the Union Cabinet’s green signal way back in 2006 and has since missed several deadlines due to various reasons, including procedural wrangles, land acquisition and environmental clearances, among others.

The earlier targeted completion of the project was 2016-17. It was shifted to 2017-18 and now has finally been set at March 2020.

Admitting the delay in the past, a senior railway official invovlved in the project said: “Work is on in full swing now and we are hopeful of completing the project in 2020.”

Stepping up its efforts, the DFC in November had completed the 194 km section from Bhadan to Khurja (in Uttar Pradesh) of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC), a spcial purpose vehicle (SPV) has been formed for planning, constructing, operating and maintaining the exclusive corridors for the movement of goods.

While the Western DFC will cover 1,504 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Navi Mumbai to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh via Vadodara-Ahmedabad-Palanpur-Phulera-Rewari, the Eastern DFC covers 1,856 km from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni, near Kolkata in West Bengal, and will traverse the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The DFC, one of India’s largest rail infrastructure projects, is expected to be the grand future of the Indian economy with an increased number of freight trains in eastern and western sectors of the country.

The Western DFC is being funded by Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), while the Eastern DFC from Mughalsarai to Ludhiana is being funded by the World Bank.

(Arun Kumar Das can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
arundas/vm/hs

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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