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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Central Railway’s Nagpur Division nets fine of Rs 1.43 crore from violators



By Dheeraj Fartode
Nagpur Division of Central Railway have booked 45,630 persons for violation of various rules at railway stations and in trains and recovered fine worth Rs 1.43 crore during the year 2013-14. 
Maximum number of violations is under without ticket category and travellers carrying unbooked luggage. Division officials booked 37,910 in this regard and recovered fine of Rs 87.94 lakh. The fine realised under this head during year 2011-12 was Rs 25,686 and Rs. 21,382 in 2010-11. 
In cases under section 147 of IR act has also increased in 2013 and rose to 5123 as against 5077 in 2012 and 3734 in 2011. CR have recovered Rs 12.97 lakh during year 2013, and Rs 10.85 lakh in year 2012. The collection of fine was merely Rs 4.29 lakh in 2011.
Action against unauthorized vendors is also increasing every year as division booked 2711 vendors in 2013 against 2577 in 2012 and 2410 in 2011. 
A new trend of travelling on general ticket in reserved compartments could be a cause of concern for Central railway. Only 111 cases were registered in 2011 in Nagpur Division. However the figure doubled and rose to 245 in 2012 and tripled in 2013 and rose to 711.
Action against travelers who entered in coaches reserved for women also increased and enforcement agencies of CR have booked 281 persons in 2013 as compared to 144 of 2012 and merely 21 in 2011.

Cases against smokers also rise

As per the guidelines given by Union Health Department, CR initiated actions against smokers in running trains and railway station premises. As per the data, Nagpur Division netted 202 persons in 2013 for smoking in railway station premises and abroad running trains. The figure was decreased in 2012 by 42 as compared to 128 of 2011. 

Decrease in cases against railway touts 

Although complaints against touts are on increase the Nagpur Division data of cases against touts shows a decline. Enforcement agencies at Nagpur Division netted 26 touts in 2011. However the figure decreased to 16 in 2012 and though shows increase in 2013 but by only two cases. It means figure of action in 2011 was more than 2013, though number of tickets sold through passenger reservation system (PRS) windows have increased manifold.

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