‘Pleasant journey in 55 minutes’: Commuters laud, thank PM for rapid rail service

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Passengers travelling on the newly inaugurated Namo Bharat train and Meerut Metro services expressed happiness and gratitude, saying the high-speed connectivity has dramatically reduced travel time across the National Capital Region, while improving comfort on the journey.

Speaking to IANS, Sajid Rauf Khan, who travelled from Meerut to Sarai Kale Khan station in Delhi, said the journey took just 55 minutes, nearly half of the earlier travel time of about two hours.

“I had a very pleasant journey. What earlier took around two hours was completed in just 55 minutes,” he said, thanking PM Narendra Modi for launching the project. Khan added that the rapid rail would be especially beneficial for daily commuters and businesspeople as it saves substantial time.

Another passenger, Shashi Chand Mangal, who was going to travel from Sarai Kale Khan to Modinagar, expressed pride in the country’s development. “Mera desh badal raha hai,” he said, extending his best wishes to the Prime Minister and hoping that such progress continues.

Commuter Anil Kumar Saini also expressed happiness over the new services and conveyed his thanks to the Prime Minister, noting that the modern trains would make regular travel easier and more efficient for thousands of people.

The reactions came a day after Prime Minister Modi flagged off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train at Shatabdi Nagar station, marking a major step in transforming regional connectivity between Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh.

During the event, the Prime Minister also dedicated the 82-km Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor to the nation and inaugurated key sections of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), including stretches in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. He also took a ride on the metro and interacted with passengers and students on board.

Designed for high speeds, the Namo Bharat system is expected to drastically cut travel time between Delhi and major urban centres such as Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut, while reducing road congestion and pollution.

Officials said the integrated rapid transit and metro operations represent a new benchmark in modern, sustainable public transport infrastructure in India.

–IANS

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Opposition creating panic among farmers over urea shortage, says Telangana minister

Hyderabad, Aug 25 (IANS) Amid the ongoing urea shortage in Telangana, State Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Monday accused the opposition parties of creating panic among farmers.

In an open letter to farmers, the minister clarified that the present shortage is due to the Centre’s inefficiency and global disruptions.

“Our government, under CM Revanth Reddy, is fighting relentlessly to secure the state’s rightful allocation. Farmers should not be misled by BRS’s politically motivated agitations or the BJP’s blame game. Telangana Government assures that farmers will not be betrayed — we will fight until every bag of urea due to our farmers is supplied,” said the minister.

The minister said that opposition parties are blaming the state government and creating panic among farmers by staging protests, spreading false propaganda, and politicising the issue.

Nageswara Rao said as Agriculture Minister, he was writing the open letter to place the facts before Telangana farmers. He said that import disruptions due to global geopolitical developments led to a urea shortage.

Telangana was allocated 3.94 lakh tonnes of imported urea by the Centre for April-August 2025. Due to Russia–Ukraine war, Iran–Israel conflict, and shipping disruptions in the Red Sea, much of the allocated stock did not arrive, he explained. Out of 3.96 lakh tonnes allocated, only 2.10 lakh tonnes have been supplied so far.

The minister also cited domestic production issues as another reason for the urea shortage. The Centre mainly allocated domestic urea from Ramagundam Fertiliser Corporation Ltd (RFCL) to Telangana. Out of 1.69 lakh tonnes allocated, only 1.06 lakh tonnes have been supplied till August. RFCL has faced a shutdown for 78 days since May, causing a 62,000-tonne shortfall.

These two factors — import delays and domestic underproduction — created a nationwide urea shortage, not just in Telangana. Even BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are facing protests, explained the minister.

For Kharif 2025, the total urea allocation by the Centre for Telangana was 9.80 lakh tonnes. Till August, 8.30 lakh tonnes were allocated, but only 5.72 lakh tonnes were supplied, leaving a shortfall of 2.58 lakh tonnes. “Thus, the shortage is mainly due to the Centre’s failure in timely imports and inadequate supply from RFCL,” he said.

Nageswara Rao said that BJP leaders in Telangana are hiding facts and blaming the State Government, while even BJP-ruled states are struggling. BRS is staging “drama protests” — making farmers stand in queues with slippers, staging birthday-event skits, distributing fake urea bags, and spreading falsehoods on social media to defame the government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. These theatrics don’t help farmers but deepen their distress, he added.

The agriculture minister gave details of the steps taken by the State Government to tackle the situation. Anticipating import disruptions, the state repeatedly requested the Centre to allocate more domestic urea instead of import-dependent stocks. It wrote 7 letters to the Centre, with CM Revanth Reddy himself raising the issue with the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Telangana MPs protested in Delhi and met Union Ministers. Due to this pressure, the Centre promised 50,000 tonnes, of which 35,000 tonnes have just arrived.

Suggesting alternatives and long-term solutions, he said the Nano Urea usage should be encouraged as it is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and soil-friendly. He said the price gap between urea and complex fertilisers should be reduced (currently Rs 250 per urea bag vs. Rs 1,500+ for complex fertilisers). This will balance usage and reduce over-dependence on urea.

He demanded the Centre to strengthen domestic urea production to match national demand.

–IANS

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People will revolt if Parliament remains non-functional: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Reflecting on the frequent disruptions in Parliament, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday warned of public agitations that would be a threat to democracy if the House remains non-functional and gradually gets into irrelevance.

Launching a book ‘Parliament: Powers, Functions & Privileges; a Comparative Constitutional Perspective’ authored by Dr. K.S. Chauhan, VP Dhankhar warned of mass protests in case the Parliament continues to suffer from disruptions.

“People will take to agitations. People will find a way out and therefore if Parliament is non-functional, it will gradually get into irrelevance, and that will be a threat to democracy,” he said.

That nation’s aspirational urge must be satisfied by the parliamentarians engaging in overdrive by evolution of policies and that can emanate only when the Parliament functions, said the Vice President.

He said the primary function of Parliament is that it must be optimally functional. “It must have dialogue and debate. It must hold the government accountable,” he said.

He said the executive is held accountable only through parliamentary mechanism. “It requires that the Parliament functions through dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation. But if Parliament is dysfunctional, Parliament is ravaged by disruptions and accountability does not take place,” he said.

Hinting at the negative implications of a non-functional House, VP Dhankhar said, “We are the fifth-largest global economy, we will soon be the third-largest. But the challenge is there. Eight-fold increase in per capita income has to be achieved for a developed nation status. And that can happen only when Parliament, its committees perform and outperform themselves.”

He also stressed on maintaining ethical standards in Parliament. “Just imagine my pain. Only a month back or so, we found on a particular seat in Rajya Sabha, a wad of notes, Rs 500 in denomination. What has really pained me is that no one has come to claim it. That’s a very serious issue. You can carry notes, maybe out of necessity but then no one has claimed, that’s a collective challenge to our ethical standards,” he said.

The Vice President said that the Parliament will fructify only if parliamentarians have their free say on issues.

“I envy their enormous talent, their capacity, their contribution. They are very learned people and, therefore, I am sure this book will be an eye opener to those who urge to take this nation forward,” he said.

–IANS

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Rajya Sabha row over ‘mini-Pakistan’ remarks on encroached land in Bengal

New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated exchanges on Tuesday when BJP MP from West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya, referred to a piece of government land allegedly encroached upon by an entity as a “mini-Pakistan” during his intervention.

Bhattacharya, who is also the BJP state president in West Bengal, raised the issue in the context of alleged encroachment on 4,000 acres of government property, claiming it had been illegally occupied, prompting his controversial description.

“It is a matter of record that a substantial portion of these lands near the Garden Reach area is referred to as ‘mini-Pakistan’ by the Mayor of Kolkata,” said the BJP MP.

The remark immediately drew strong protests from the opposition members, who raised slogans condemning the statement as divisive and offensive.

“The land dispute is in the court, and we are not able to get it released,” said Shantanu Thakur, the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

He also said the mayor of Kolkata said the parcel of land was “mini-Pakistan” before the media, while answering John Brittas question.

To which several members reacted and created a ruckus. NCP-SCP MP Dr Fauzia Khan strongly objected, urging the Chairman to expunge the remarks from the official records.

“You cannot call Indian citizens the citizens of Pakistan,” she argued, emphasising that such language unfairly labels fellow Indians and undermines national unity.

CPI(M) John Brittas also condemned the remarks.

He said, “If my fellow member makes such remarks, Islamabad will demand that territory. Please do not make such a blunder,” asking the MP not to make such blunders.

The opposition MPs shouted slogans against the remarks. The Chairman asked the MPs to take their seats, saying any such “unrelated issue” cannot be raised during question hour.

The Chairman intervened to restore order, but the exchange underscored deep divisions in the House amid broader discussions on governance and security issues.

The Upper House continued its session with key legislative business, including the ongoing general discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27.

–IANS

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