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Superfast Kerala-Delhi train flagged off

     Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy flagged off a new weekly, superfast express train, the 'Kerala Sampark Kranti Express', on Wednesday, which will connect Kochuveli railway station with Hazrat Nizamuddin station in Delhi. The function was presided over by the Minister of State for Railways R Velu, several state ministers, local members of Parliament and the state Assembly. The Kerala Sampark Kranti Express will run on the Konkan Railway route along the west coast of the country. Regular services on the route would start from Hazrat Nizamuddin on April 4. The train will leave Hazrat Nizamuddin at 7.25 a.m. on Mondays and reach Kochuveli at 7.00 a.m. on Wednesdays. The return train will leave Kochuveli on Fridays from April 8. It will depart from Kochuveli at 6 p.m.and reach Hazrat Nizamuddin at 6 p.m. on Sundays. The train will have a first class AC coach, one AC two-tier coach, eight sleeper class coaches, four general second-class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.

17 die after consuming illicit liquor in UP's Unnao (Go To Top)

     Unnao (UP): At least 17 people died after they consumed illicitly brewed liquor in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh. Six others lost their eyesight and 20 people have been admitted to a local hospital. The victims belonged to five villages of the district. Maximum number of the affected people belonged to the Ashayas village. Survivors of victims' families were shocked and those who lost vision were worried about their future. Srikrishna, who lost his eyesight, said: "I had taken the country made hooch and now I have lost my vision." Meanwhile, the administration said it had taken six people into custody and enquiry was being conducted to punish the guilty. "In five villages (some) people have died. The administration has been ordered to conduct an enquiry against the excise inspector. In district level, charges have been framed against police superintendent, beat constables and inspector. Moreover, six people have been arrested till now in this regard," said Anil Kumar Sagar, District Magistrate of Unnao. The administration would provide monetary aid to the families of victims. Dozens of poor people die in the country every year after consuming cheap local brews, often laced with poisonous substances such as methyl alcohol, rectified spirit and varnish, which are added to provide a quick "high".

Afghan dam breached by rain, melting snow, town inundated (Go To Top)

     Ghazni (Afghanistan): Waters swamped large parts of Ghazni, a central town in Afghanistan on Tuesday and several nearby villages were inundated after a dam was breached following heavy rains and melting snows. Up to six people were feared killed and U.S.-led forces joined an evacuation effort using helicopters to clear downstream areas. According to an international news agency report, waters from the ruptured Band-e-Sultan Dam flooded Ghazni town and inundated villages along the banks of the Ghazni river. Concern had mounted over the past few weeks as heavy rains and melting snows built up pressure on the dam's wall. Ghazni's Governor Haji Assadullah Khalid was quoted as saying that the cracks had appeared and had given way in some places along the top.

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