A meeting of the Regional Railway Users' Consultative Committee of the South East Central Railway was held in Bilaspur under the chairmanship of General Manager Alok Kumar. Chhindwara district was represented by member Satyenndra Thakur. The General Manager honored him with a shawl and a coconut. The member raised various suggestions...
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and demands related to railway passenger facilities in Chhindwara. He requested the extension of the Nagpur-Shahdol Express to Anuppur. In response, the General Manager said that a proposal to extend the Shahdol train to Anuppur has been sent to the Railway Ministry and an order is expected soon. Regarding the extension of the Chitrakoot Express running between Jabalpur and Lucknow to Chhindwara, railway officials said that the Chitrakoot Express requires 3 hours of end-to-end maintenance in both directions. Therefore, extending this train to Chhindwara is not feasible at present. This proposal will be sent to the Railway Board. Further action will be taken after approval from there. The member also requested the extension of the Sewagram train to Chhindwara. In response, the railway said that the express is primarily maintained in Nagpur and operated by the Central Railway. The primary maintenance facility is not available in Chhindwara. Therefore, extending this train to Chhindwara is not feasible at present. The demand will be sent to the Railway Board. A 12-meter wide FOB is approved to be built at the Parasai end of Chhindwara railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Regarding the provision of accessible toilets in the circulating area, the railway replied that this facility will be started soon. The consultative committee member raised the issue of frequent closure of four gates. The concerned railway officials said that inspection was conducted on March 26, 2022 regarding connecting the Chhindwara-Narsinghpur route. A new ROB can be built here. However, the State Government has not yet received a proposal for constructing a new ROB. The railway will make every effort to resolve this problem. The member also raised the issue of shortage of GRP and RPF staff. Railway officials replied that a proposal for 233 additional posts in RPF has been sent to the Railway Board which is still pending. In response to the closure of the ticket counter due to lack of staff, railway officials said that arrangements are being made. In the meeting, the demand for police verification and records of porters working in the goods shed was raised. In response, the railway administration said that the concerned contractor has been informed about this matter. The porters working under the Chhindwara railway station will be subjected to police verification.

A meeting of the South East Central Railway's Regional Railway Users Consultative Committee was held in Bilaspur, presided over by General Manager Alok Kumar. Satendra Thakur, representing Chhindwara district, raised several suggestions and demands related to passenger amenities in Chhindwara. He requested extending the Nagpur-Shahdol Express to Anuppur, to which the...
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General Manager responded that the proposal has been sent to the Railway Ministry and approval is expected soon. Regarding extending the Chitrakoot Express running between Jabalpur and Lucknow to Chhindwara, Railway officials stated that the train requires 3 hours of maintenance at both ends, making extension currently infeasible. However, the proposal will be sent to the Railway Board for further action. Another request was to extend the Sewagram Express to Chhindwara, which was declined due to the lack of maintenance facilities in Chhindwara. This proposal will also be sent to the Railway Board. Regarding the construction of a Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at Chhindwara railway station, the Railway stated that a 12-meter wide FOB at the Parasia end has been approved under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. The Railway also assured that accessible toilets would be made available in the circulating area soon. The committee member also raised the issue of frequent closure of level crossings, and the railway officials informed that an inspection was conducted on March 26, 2022, to assess the possibility of constructing a new Road Over Bridge (ROB). However, they are awaiting a proposal from the state government for the ROB construction. The Railway assured that they will make all possible efforts to resolve the issue. Other issues raised included the shortage of GRP and RPF staff, lack of staff at booking counters leading to their closure, and the need for police verification of porters working at the goods shed. The Railway administration responded by stating that a proposal for 233 additional positions in the RPF has been sent to the Railway Board, arrangements are being made to address the staff shortage at booking counters, and the concerned contractor has been informed about the police verification requirement for porters.