Shri Suresh Prabhu, launched Personalised take away bedrolls service in Indian Railways

Shri Suresh Prabhu, launched Personalised take away bedrolls service in Indian Railways 

Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways during a grand function held at East Tambaram Railway Colony Ground in Tambaram, Chennai yesterday i.e.  07.02.2016 (Sunday) launched various Railways project/schemes which also included ‘Personalised take away bedrolls scheme’

            Initially, the supply would be at Chennai Central Railway Station and Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station of Southern Railway. Later, this scheme will be extended to other stations also in the country in phases .

Salient features of e-Bedrolls:

        Bedrolls are disposable.  Hence, passengers can take them home after journey.

         Type 1 – Bedroll kit packed in a non-woven fabric bag consisting of two cotton bedsheets and one pillow at a cost of Rs.140.

         Type 2 – Blanket kit packed in a non-woven bag consisting of one blanket at a cost of Rs.110.

        Cost is inclusive of all taxes and uniform across stations over Indian Railways.

Booking:

         Any passenger having a valid confirmed ticket for travel from Chennai Central railway station or Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station can book the bedroll kit – either type 1 or type 2 or both together.

         Booking available at www.irctctourism.com under the tab Bedrolls.

         Bedrolls can also be purchased across the designated counter at the stations by paying cash.

        Website asks for PNR number, validates the same and shows information on availability, cost etc.

        Passenger can book the required bedroll kits and pay through credit / debit / pre-charged cards.

        Booking will be confirmed at the website and also through e-mail and SMS.

         Bank charges for the transaction to be borne by the customer.

         Bedrolls service available between 06.00 hrs. to 22.00 hrs.

         In case of trains running late and reaching the designated station between 22.00 hrs. to 06.00 hrs., bedrolls will not be delivered and treated as non-delivery by IRCTC.

         In case of non-delivery by IRCTC, 100% charges for the service would be refunded to the pasenger’s account. (Refund will not include bank charges for booking transaction).

         Advance reservation period – from 60 days before day of travel to up to five hours before scheduled departure of train.

        A toll free number – 1323 – will give information about the kits, cost and availability.

 Cancellation / Amendment:

         Cancellation / Amendment of orders through www.irctctourism.com with the registered ID.

        Refund amount will be credited to the card account through which the original booking was made.

        Cancellation / amendment before five hours of scheduled departure will incur cancellation charge of 20%.

         Cancellation / Amendment within five hours of scheduled departure – no refund.

 Others:

         Passengers not permitted to resell the bedrolls after use.

        Queries and feedback – 1323 toll free (information); 011-2334 5300 (round the clock) and ebedroll@irctc.com

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NHAI aims for conservation and protection of wildlife 

With a view to mainstream Sustainable Development and Environmental Management into highway development projects, National Highways Authority of India has taken the lead in creating a platform for dialogue where development goals and conservation needs can be resolved across the table by all stakeholders. Chairman NHAI initiated the dialogue with the representatives from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change last month. The dialogue will now continue through meetings to be held once every quarter, providing a structured platform for expeditious consultations with all stakeholders for convergence of development goals with conservation needs.

NHAI propose using space technology for planning and monitoring of conflict zones and putting in place mitigation measures for environmental protection and conservation along the highways. Conservation of wildlife is the focus of attention. Chairman NHAI has assured to undertake all necessary measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate any impact on wildlife that may result in the course of development of National Highways. NHAI would provide the coordinates of all NH projects to WII for developing a Geological Information System (GIS) enabled map of all National Highways passing through Protected Areas. Chairman, NHAI emphasized the necessity of scientific designing of mitigation measures, so that the project designs could be optimized, safeguarding wildlife while maintaining the cost-effectiveness of the projects on long term basis. With such a platform in place, NHAI expects to reduce the time factor in consultations, clearances and finalization of mitigation plans thereby saving huge costs to the society. 

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JNPT Board extends rebate on Containers transported by Rail to CFS Navi Mumbai 

In a move to encourage rail transportation, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Board had granted a waiver of Rs. 728/- per container towards handling charges of Exim containers moved by rail to and from the Container Freight Services on dedicated rakes at JNPCT. The waiver was granted on 15th October 2015 for a period of 3 months on a trial basis. To further encourage rail movement, the Board has extended the rebate for another 3 months. Also, while the initial rebate was applicable to containers moved by dedicated rakes both ways, it will now also apply to containers which have either arrived through dedicated rakes or moved out through dedicated rakes placed on JNPCT lines. This will not only encourage the trade for usage of rail transportation but also reduce the congestion and pollution on the roads around JN Port.