Date:27/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/07/27/stories/2006072703830800.htm

Back Panel for restricting entry in railway stations

Our Bureau

Calls for some concrete action for crowd management at station premises

New Delhi , July 26

A Parliamentary Panel has recommended that Government should restrict the entry of people in railway stations on the lines of airports.

Calling for some "concrete action for crowd management at the station premises," the Standing Committee on Railways has said that only genuine passengers with restricted number of accompanying persons should be allowed at the platforms as is being done at airports.

Directional terminals

The Committee has also suggested that all major cities should be provided with directional terminals just like Delhi, where trains arriving from and departing for each of the directions would terminate and start at their respective directional terminals.

The Committee has has questioned the basis on which the Railways has sanctioned the Rs 90.44-crore broad-gauge line work to connect Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore, given that the feasibility study for the same has not been completed.

The Rail Technical and Economic Services (RITES) has been entrusted with the technical-feasibility study for connecting the two stations. The Committee is unable to understand the basis on which the project was sanctioned without studying the technical feasibility, it stated.

For Kolkata, the Committee has suggested an integrated action plan for augmenting terminal facilities.