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CHENNAI: Eyewitness accounts from Semmankuppam revealing that gatekeeper Pankaj Sharma dozed off, leaving the gate open unattended, might not hold water if official records come into play in the ongoing investigations into the Cuddalore train tragedy that killed three school kids. Highly placed railway sources disclosed to DT Next that gatekeeper Pankaj Sharma shared the Private Number Exchange (PNE) with the Station Master about the train approaching Alappakkam station at 7.04 am on Tuesday. PNE is a confidential number exchanged only between the keeper of a non-interlocked level crossing gate and a station master. The number is shared by the gatekeeper to alert the SM of an approaching train. "He (Gatekeeper) had shared the PNE at 7.04 am with Alappakkam Station Master to alert him of the train's arrival to his station at 7.13 am. He did it after confirming the arrival of the train at Caperquarry halt station, from where it takes 10 to 12 minutes to reach his LC. The gate was closed at 7.06 am. The system and records will have a trail of the action taken. How could he have been sleeping or slept later if he shared PEN with the Station Master?" said the source. Conceding that the gatekeeper erred and violated the rules in acceding to public pressure and opening the closed gate, following pressure from two-wheeler riders, another railway source said, "After he closed the gate at 7.06 am, many motorcyclists quarrelled with him to open it. He eventually yielded and opened it partially to let them pass through. However, the van driver also tried to sneak through, leading to a collision. That is why eyewitnesses say the gate was open at the time of the incident. It is a serious violation on the part of the gatekeeper." However, there is no denying that the overworked gatekeeper yielded to public pressures. It was the third consecutive night at the gate for Pankaj Sharma, who clocked 12 hours per day, which is permissible as per the rules for a category III level crossing gate. Asked about the work stress, DREU's former vice president, R Elangovan, said that the railway authorities do not undertake a job analysis when they do the census for the classification of gates, which is done every three years. "If they do the job analysis as sincerely as they do the gate classification, the work pressure and resultant impact could be reduced considerably."
New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) Homegrown two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp on Thursday announced its foray into the United Kingdom in partnership with MotoGB. The company will introduce its advanced Euro 5+ range, featuring Hunk 440, designed to meet the growing demand for high-performance motorcycles in the region, as part of its UK launch, MotoCorp said in a statement. The UK entry marks the company's 51st international market, strengthening its footprint across Europe, it added. "Following our foray into Italy and Spain, our partnership with MotoGB further strengthens our European footprint," Her ...Read More >
CUDDALORE, July 8: Three school students were killed in this district on Tuesday when the van they were travelling in collided with a passenger train, even as different versions of the tragic incident surfaced. The gatekeeper posted at the level crossing in question has been suspended and arrested, Southern Railway, which apologised for the "unfortunate incident," said. Around 7.45 am, the school van carrying the students attempted to cross the railway level crossing Gate No. 170 (a non-interlocked manned gate) between Cuddalore and Alappakkam, and was hit by Train No. 56813 Villupuram-Mayil ...Read More >
Cuddalore, Jul 9 (PTI) A new gatekeeper assumed charge here at the Semmankuppam manned level crossing where a train hit a van killing 3 school-going children on July 8. The new appointee, Anand Raj told reporters he has been working in the railways for the past 2 years and he has now been posted to Semmankuppam to man Level Crossing No 170, a non-interlocked, manned crossing. Also Read | Delhi-NCR Rains: Waterlogging and Traffic Disruptions in Several Areas As Sudden Spell of Heavy Rain Batters National Capital; IMD Issues Red Alert (Watch Video). "Interlocking" refers to locking the railwa ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emplaned for Namibia -- the final stop of his five-nation visit -- after wrapping up his State Visit to Brasilia where he met Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and also attended the 17th BRICS Summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Taking to X, the PMO wrote: "PM @narendramodi has boarded for Namibia, the final destination of his tour" Also, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randir Jaiswal wrote on X: "PM @narendramodi concludes a productive visit to Brazil and emplanes for Namibia. A memorable visit t ...Read More >
Cuddalore, Jul 9 (PTI) A new gatekeeper assumed charge here at the Semmankuppam manned level crossing where a train hit a van killing 3 school-going children on July 8. The new appointee, Anand Raj told reporters he has been working in the railways for the past 2 years and he has now been posted to Semmankuppam to man Level Crossing No 170, a non-interlocked, manned crossing. "Interlocking" refers to locking the railway boom at the level crossing by linking it to the signalling system, which ensures safety. A non-interlocked gate is not connected to the signalling system and could be opened ...Read More >
Surat (Gujarat) [India], August 21: KP Group, a leading name in India's renewable energy sector, is stepping up its expansion with a clear goal of reaching 10 GW capacity by 2030. With projects already underway in Gujarat, the Group is working on projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, supported by a strong order book and government partnerships. KP Group has signed memoranda of understanding with Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for over 2.6 GW of renewable projects, while exploring new opportunities in other states. The Group has already e ...Read More >
Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) [India], June 7 (ANI): Following the completion of one month of Operation Sindoor, people living near the Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan expressed happiness. A resident in Barmer said that there was too much enthusiasm among the people during Operation Sindoor, and nobody living near the border vacated their village. A resident, Raghuvir Singh, said, "My village is just 2 km away from the Indo-Pak border. We have seen Operation Sindoor very closely. Nobody living near the border vacated their village; they supported the Indian Army and BSF. The Indian Air Force destroyed t ...Read More >
BENGALURU: The Maharashtra government fears that increase in height of Alamatti reservoir in Bagalkot district of Karnataka from 519.60 meters to 524.256 meters would result in flooding of Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts owing to backwaters and there is no need for the Maharashtra government to fear flooding since its own expert committee led by retired Principal Secretary to Irrigation department Nandkumar Wadnekar ruled out flooding from the Almatti and Hipparagi reservoirs, stated Minister of Large Scale Industries M.B. Patil on Sunday. M.B. Patil was the irrigation minister in Sidda ...Read More >
New Delhi: These days, Rajesh, who used to be a bike-taxi rider with Rapido, no longer ferries passengers across Bengaluru. With the two-wheeler service being declared illegal, he like other Rapido riders, has switched to food-delivery, a play Rapido is testing with its newly launched Ownly service. "I do this at night while attending college in the morning," Rajesh adds. "I use the same bike -- it's convenient, and the extra cash helps cover my expenses." He is unsure if Rapido will be able to break the Swiggy-Zomato duopoly, which has a stranglehold over the food delivery business. "Who kn ...Read More >
Gurugram : Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. (SMIPL), the two-wheeler subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan concluded FY 2025-26 with its highest-ever annual sales of 14,39,415 units, registering a double-digit growth of 15% over 12,56,155 units sold in FY 2024-25. Domestic sales stood at 11,74,874 units in FY 2025-26, up from 10,45,662 units in the last financial year, reflecting a 12% increase. Export performance remained robust with 2,64,541 units, as against 2,10,493 units in FY 2024-25, marking a significant 26% growth. MARCH 2026 SALES PERFORMANCE In March 2026, SMIPL recorded ...Read More >
Shillong, June 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Even as the hectic search for the missing Madhya Pradesh woman continued for over two weeks on Saturday, Meghalaya's lone BJP Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek has supported the families' demand for a CBI probe into the death of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose wife Sonam is still missing. The decomposed body of Sonam's husband Raja Raghuvanshi was recovered on June 2. The couple from Indoor in Madhya Pradesh went missing on May 23 while visiting Meghalaya's Sohra-Cherrapunji areas, a tourism hotspot in the northeastern region. On Saturday, the Minister said that the CB ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The legacy of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, who once stopped the Afghan forces at the Khyber Pass, is not merely history but a living inheritance, said Dr A. Tajinder Pal Singh Nalwa, his descendant. "If we could protect India from invasions then, we must now protect our children's minds from disintegration." Dr Nalwa was speaking to Sikh educators, community members, students, and lawyers at a seminar hosted by the Sikh Education Society at Guru Nanak High School Lecture Hall. Presided over by former DGP Tejdeep Kaur Menon, president of the Telangana Sikh Society, the seminar focused ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: The depression over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh - south Odisha coasts moved north-north-westwards and crossed South Odisha coast close to Gopalpur during early morning of Tuesday and lay cantered over south coastal Odisha. Weatherman said it was likely to move north-westwards across south Odisha and south Chhattisgarh and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area during next few hours. Under its influence, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, are likely over north and south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema. Stro ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police has recorded the statement of Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra in a Rs. 60 crore alleged fraud case. Mumbai Police shared an update in the case and stated: "Investigations are going on against actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra in an alleged fraud case of Rs. 60 crore. A summon was issued by the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police to Raj Kundra. He was asked to appear before police for the investigation." They further stated that the police have recorded his statements in the case. Additionally, they said that Raj Kundra ...Read More >