Vijayawada, Guntakal to be Swachh stations

The Vijayawada Railway Division (VRD) of the South Central Railway (SCR) celebrated the 66th Republic Day at the railway stadium on Monday. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Pradeep Kumar hoisted the national flag and inspected the guard of honour presented by the Railway Protection Force and Scouts and Guides contingents of Vijayawada Division.

Addressing the gathering, he said that the SCR, which earned Rs 9,332 crore during April-December 2014, achieved an impressive growth rate of 21.5 per cent. “The security in trains was strengthened by deploying 262 RPF personnel to escort 134 express trains on sensitive routes as a measure to ensure passenger safety. It also launched a four digit helpline 1,332 for the round-the-clock security of passengers.

As many as 431 CCTV cameras were installed at 32 major stations in the division to step up vigil in the wake of increase in terror threat,” he said. The DRM said, “SCR believes in the ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ proverb. Swachh Bharat campaign is being effectively implemented in the division. Vijayawada and Guntakal railway stations are being developed as model stations for cleanliness. As many as 1,265 bio-toilets have been set up in 412 coaches. Six new trains will be introduced by April. For hassle-free booking of rail tickets, 21 Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendras will be set in the SCR.”

Later, the DRM felicitated J Rama Rao who won a gold medal for the railways at the Senior National Archery Championship held at Pune. Students of Jack and Jill English Medium School and Asha Kiran presented cultural programmes to mark the occasion. RPF Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Ramesh Chandra and other officials were present.