4 coaches of Rajdhani catch fire near Ratlam, passengers safe

All the 1,100 passengers on board the train are safe, officials said. The fire broke out at a spot between the two stations, about 75 kms here, at around 2.20 AM in Kota division of West Central Railways, Ravi Mohan Sharma, Ratlam Divisional Commercial Manager, said.


The four affected coaches were detached at Thuriya.


Preliminary investigation suggests that short-circuit caused the fire in B-6 and B-7 coaches and the pantry car, he said Sharma told PTI that B-6 and B-7 were fully damaged, while B-5 and the pantry car suffered minor damage.


Railway authorities have announced ex-gratia of Rs 5,000 each for the 144 passengers in B-6 and B-7 coaches. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot from Ujjain and Ratlam.


Sharma said that Commissioner, Railway Safety (Central Circle) had started a probe and the report would be submitted to the Railway Board in seven days. WCR Chief Public Relations Officer, Piyush Mathur said that after the affected coaches were detached, the train left for Delhi at around 8.20 this morning.


Rail traffic was disrupted in the Nagda-Kota line for some time due to the incident, he said. Helplines have been set up at Kota, Ratlam and Mumbai to provide information about the incident.


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/154481/4-coaches-rajdhani-catch-fire.html

If you aren’t afraid of flying yet, you should be

The Indian aviation industry has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, with major contributions from the civil aviation segment.

Currently the ninth largest in the world, the civil aviation market is anticipated to register more than 16 per cent growth between 2010-2013.

But this phenomenal expansion faced the inevitable challenge of insufficient safety apparatus. While we crowed over our burgeoning fleet size and airport ratings, we paid little attention to safety surveillance.;With the growth of aviation, it is essential to enhance safety systems. In India the reverse happened;, alleged Sanat Kaul, Chairman of IFFAAD

The result has been devastating: 158 passengers died in the Mangalore air crash, which safety advocates say was completely avoidable. But before blaming it all on the infrastructure, we need to consider the more appalling aspects of the problem.

Chronology: Air accidents in India

According to a DGCA report, pilot error caused the Mangalore crash. Data retrieved from the cockpit voice recorder shows that the captain was on the wrong flight path. Moreover, Captain Zlatko Glusica delayed in taking corrective measures, despite being requested by his co-pilot to go in for a ;go-around;.

Pilot error has been the leading cause of airline tragedies by a wide margin for many years. The Indian Commercial Pilot Association believes 78 per cent of all crashes have taken place due to human error.

On February 14, Yahoo! India News had carried the story of an Indigo pilot who just couldn't land right. An inquiry conducted later by the Director General of Civil Aviation revealed that on 15 to 20 occasions, Captain Parminder Kaur Gulati had landed the aircraft at an angle indicating that the nose wheel may have touched the tarmac first.

Gulati was arrested on March 9 for allegedly using a forged marksheet to get a licence from the country's airline regulator. The fake pilot licence scandal broke following Gulati's arrest. So far, seven pilots have been nabbed.

Meanwhile, CNN IBN has brought to light the story of Arjun Giare, who was caught cheating by an US examiner in 2000. The US Federal Aviation then cancelled his licence. But that did not stop Giare froThe DGCA is now scrutinising the licences of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots. Will Indian aviation set a record of sacking 4,000 fake pilots? Highly possible!

As if fake pilots were not enough, over the past two years, 57 pilots have been caught reporting for duty drunk. Ten were fired and others have had their licences suspended for short periods.

What's happening in a country expected to be the fastest growing civil aviation market in the world by 2020? Unless the DGCA checks the credentials of every pilot, and ensures that no more Arjun Giares sneaks in, you could be entrusting your life to a spurious pilot.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/thewatercooler/aren-t-afraid-flying-yet-20110405-234620-013.html

Independents promise Nano car as they join TN freebies war

Chennai, Apr 2 (PTI) Not lagging behind political parties, independents contesting the April 13 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu too have come up with promise of freebies to woo the electorate but most of them borders on absurdity.

An independent contesting from Salem South and North constituencies has made the most unbelievable offer of a Nano car each to every voter if they elected him.

Shahjahan also promised a cell phone, a generator set to each family to relieve them from power cuts, free cable TV connection and pocket money of Rs.200 to every student.

When asked from where he would get the money to fulfil his promises, Shahjahan coolly said, ;if the money that came from 2G spectrum scam is confiscated, more could be done."

Asked whether his promise amounted to a corrupt practice, an offence under the Representation of the People;s Act, the candidate, a lawyer by profession, said there was nothing wrong in it.;If the political parties can offer (freebies), why can''t I?; he countered.

Another independent candidate from Musiri, Kannaiyan, has promised free gold coins to all voters if elected, besides three cents of land to those who worked for him during the polls.

He had also offered free cable TV connections to the voters in his constituency.

Congress candidate in Musiri M Rajasekaran had even moved the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission to prevent Kannaiyan''s alleged corrupt practices.

The court disposed of the petition after Election Commission submitted it would take steps in accordance with law if the charges were true.

Vincent Paul, another independent from Manapparai, has offered gold chain of five sovereigns to all girls getting married.

Dubbing these promises as ''hollow'', former Chennai Mayor and DMK activist Sa Ganesan said people would believe promises made in the manifestos of political parties, but not those by independents.

In a war of freebies, ruling DMK and AIADMK have promised a bonanza ranging from mixer, grinder to mineral water and free rice.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/independents-promise-nano-car-join-tn-freebies-war-20110401-232500-683.html

Honorary doctorate for Dhoni likely

Ranchi, April 4 (PTI) After gifting Indian Cricket Captain M S Dhoni a plot for establishing a cricket academy, the Jharkhand government is mulling on a proposal to confer an honorary doctorate to the man with the midas touch.

;It is the HRD department''s earnest desire to confer Dhoni with the honorary doctorate title as he is the best in the cricket field,;Jharkhand HRD Minister Baijanth Ram told PTI here today.

;I put the proposal before Chief Minister Arjun Munda and talked to academicians before initiating norms as per rules. Dhoni deserves this title,; Ram added.

Congratulating Team India for its glorious triumph, he said ;It was a team effort that brought the World Cup to the nation a second time on Saturday. We are proud of Dhoni and his players for bringing glory after so many years.

Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto yesterday announced that the government would donate a piece of land to Dhoni to fulfil the ace cricketer''s dream of setting up a cricket academy in the state.

The state government has been showering gifts on Dhoni ever since he made his international debut, including a plot at Harmu where he built a house - the centre of attraction since Team India''s win over Pakistan in the semifinal match on March 30.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/honorary-doctorate-dhoni-likely-20110404-022900-727.html

Dhoni's best captain I have played for: Sachin

Mumbai:Team India dedicated its World Cup victory to Sachin Tendulkar. At a press conference, Mr. Tendulkar said:

We planned a lot of things. Nobody thought of lifting the trophy. Were thinking of the process. Were thinking of limiting them to smallest total possible.

In knockout stage, we peaked at the right time;clicked together at right time. We batted, fielded and bowled well. You see effort from all players. From senior most to junior most. Performance no one can guarantee but effort you can guarantee.

Dhoni;s been a fab captain. He stayed calm, very alert. Situational awareness has been his biggest strength. To know the likes and dislikes of every individual is very important. And he;s been at it throughout the tournament.

Personally, I would say Gary (Kirsten) should continue but he has family commitments. I respect his decision. We will miss him a lot. It;s been a pleasure to work with him. He;s probably worked harder than anyone else. He worked like a machine.

In 1987, I was a ball boy and Gavaskar took me to the dressing room and introduced me to other players. That was a big day but this was a bigger day. Had to pinch everyone to realize that it wasn;t a dream.

http://sports.ndtv.com/world-cup-2011/news/item/171630-dhonis-best-captain-i-have-played-for-sachin

BIAL bags Best Airport India award

Bangalore International Airport Limited has bagged the prestigious ''Best Airport India'' award at the Skytrax World Airport Awards in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The award is based on a survey completed by over 100 nationalities of world air travellers, covering more than 240 airports worldwide in 2011, a press release said.

At the global level, Bengaluru International Airport earned a special mention for being among the three airports nominated for the best improvement in one year in global rankings.

The award was presented at an event in Denmark yesterday.

;We at Bengaluru International Airport are thrilled and honoured to receive this prestigious award. This award is testimony to the tremendous effort the team has put into maintaining the highest levels of operational excellence at Bengaluru International Airport,; said Bangalore International Airport Limited Managing Director G V Sanjay Reddy.

;It is heartening to note that the results are being seen and felt by passengers across the globe who have rated BIAL to win this award,; he said

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/BIAL-bags-Best-Airport-India-pti-2110597052.html

India's population pegged at 1,210.2 million

India;s census commissioner says the 2011 count puts the country;s population at about 1,210.2 million people, or 17 percent of the world population.

C.Chandramauli said Thursday that the preliminary results show a 17.6 percent increase from the 2001 census, but indicated that the growth rate is slowing.

The provisional 2011 Census report released on Thursday has pegged India;s population pegged at 1,210.2 million (male ; 623.7 million and female ; 586.5 million).

The country;s population is now bigger than the combined population of USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh, says the Census report. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state and the combined population of UP and Maharashtra is bigger than the U.S.

Child sex ratio in 2011 is 914 female against 1,000 male ; the lowest since Independence.

Highest population density is in Delhi;s northeast district(37,346 per sq km) while the lowest is in Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh (just one per sq km), says 2011 Census report.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1587153.ece