No more trains delayed by fog
Thick fog in the early mornings often leads to trains getting delayed and raises the risk of accidents in the Gangetic belt. Indian Railways has come up with a technical solution to the problem. The GPS-enabled Fog Pass pilot assistance system, which is being installed on all mail, express and passenger trains, will help loco pilots know the distance to the next signal and regulate their speed. The device, which can alert the train driver 1,200 metres before an approaching signal, will also be installed on goods trains shortly, said Rajesh Kumar, the chief public relations officer of East Central Railway. A few other measures are also being put in place to deal with fog, he added.
Two Manjhis on Nitish’s mind
Nitish Kumar has been Bihar CM for the past thirteen years minus a nine-month period when he had put his then trusted Cabinet colleague Jitan Ram Manjhi in the post. The bitter experience of those nine months still rankles Kumar as he had had a hard time getting Manjhi to vacate the post. Kumar touched on the issue while inaugurating an institute named fter the late Dashrath Manjhi, the “Mountain Man” who single-handedly worked for 22 years and made a road through the hills. “I had once let him sit in my chair for some time and it made big news. I later gave the chair to another one, but that is another matter,” he said, without naming the HAM chief.
Geeta Phogat to flag off marathon
Patnaites are excited about ace wrestler Geeta Phogat agreeing to grace a marathon coming up in the city on December 16. Phogat, who won India’s first-ever gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, 2010, will be the chief guest at Patna Marathon. Like last year, it will be a half marathon (21.2 km). Flying Sikh Milkha Singh had flagged off last year’s event. After efforts to rope in famous boxer MC Mary Kom this year failed, the organisers zeroed in on Phogat. Winners in the three categories would get prize money, which totals J10 lakh.
App promises to resolve civic crises
A mobile app launched by Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) promises the city’s residents fast relief from vexing civic issues such as overflowing drains and streetlights hanging defunct. All the residents will have to do is click a photograph of the scene and post it on the ‘City of Patna’ app. While the app, which is available on the civic body’s website for download onto Android-based smartphones, was first launched in October, it had so far generated a lukewarm response. Frequent technical glitches had rendered it unpopular. With the PMC set to get points in the national cleanliness survey based on crisis resolution through this app, officials are encouraging its use.