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With Chhath Puja around the corner, the General Manager of Northern Railway, Shobhan Chaudhuri on Wednesday inspected the arrangements at New Delhi Railway Station.
The General Manager was accompanied by Sukhwinder Singh, DRM of Delhi Division and senior officers from the Northern Railway. The extensive preparations for crowd management were unveiled during the inspection. Speaking to ANI about these arrangements, Shobhan Chaudhuri said that as of now, a total of 880 trips, comprising 102 pairs and 7 unscheduled trains, have been notified. "Among these, 809 trips are heading east, while the remaining 71 trips are directed northward or to other destinations. This initiative generates approximately 17.5 lakh additional seats to accommodate passengers of all classes," he said. Chaudhuri further said that to ensure a smooth travel experience, Northern Railway has augmented 70 trains (68 rakes) with 117 coaches, resulting in the creation of over 5.17 lakh additional berths. The total count of extra berths and seats amounts to about 22.5 lakh. GM informed that several crowd management measures have also been implemented, including a well-equipped mini control room operating at New Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi Junction and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations 24x7. Manned by nominated staff from various departments, it features telephones, train information, panel room connectivity and CCTV feeds. A tentage arrangement has been set up at the Ajmeri Gate circulating area. Other facilities include 20 mobile toilets, 20 additional water taps, 7 reservation counters, a large LCD screen for train information and public address systems, he added. Chaudhuri said that a team of doctors is deployed from 06:00 hrs to 24:00 hrs and first aid posts with para-medical staff, stretchers, wheelchairs and ambulance services ensure medical assistance is readily available. Also, Commercial staff, RPF & RPSF, GRP staff, civil defence volunteers and Scout & Guides are deputed for crowd control and extending help to passengers. It is notable that many other precautions also taken up by railways include efforts to run east-bound trains from Platform 16, no changes in PF berthing once decided, placement of all rakes on platforms at least 30 minutes before departure, a working Train Enquiry system, proper announcement systems, functioning train information boards, manned escalators, and preparedness of hospitals and dispensaries near railway stations for any eventuality. (ANI)
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