The South Central Railway (SCR) on Wednesday celebrated the 62nd Republic Day at Railway Sports Complex Grounds, Secunderabad.
SCR General Manager M S Jayanth unfurled the tricolour and delivered the Republic Day message. He also inspected the parade by contingents representing Railway Protection Force, Civil Defence and National Cadet Corps, and received the Guard Of Honour presented by them.
Addressing the gathering, Jayanth said that SCR had achieved significant milestones during the current financial year due to the hard work put in by the railway staff and officers.
He said that SCR achieved a record incremental tonnage of 7.82 million tonnes over the previous year, exceeding the target by about 2 mts.
Jayanth also said that with an aggregate growth of 16.36% in gross earnings during the year, SCR had recorded the highest incremental growth among the 16 zones of Indian Railways. He also detailed the zone's initiatives towards capacity augmentation which includes a proposal for commissioning 171kms of new lines during the year, the best ever since the formation of the zone.
The SCR GM mentioned that the Dharmavaram-Pakala gauge conversion project was commissioned and a 106kms project of doubling works on Renigunta-Guntakal and Wadi section will also be commissioned this year. He also stated that 76 route-kilometers had been electrified, and another 72rkms are to be electrified this year.
Jayanth highlighted the various passenger amenities provided by SCR. He said that 39 stations had been taken up for upgrading as Adarsh stations. To improve cleanliness and hygiene, 'On Board Housekeeping Services' had been introduced in 20 trains with professional agencies. He said that MMTS services would be upgraded after the induction of 36 coaches to be delivered by ICF soon.
The SCR GM also said that SCR was the first zonal railways to introduce a 24x7 help line for redressal of complaints. He informed that 'Automatic Ticket Vending Machines' (ATVMs) would be provided at busy stations to avoid long queues. He also said that to decongest passenger reservation centres, reservation counters will be introduced extensively through post offices.
Stressing on the security aspect, Jayanth said that Integrated Security Scheme will be commissioned at Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Tirupati. He thanked the media and public for the cooperation extended to SCR in achieving its targets.
On the occasion, the RPF presented display of bravery acts. Cultural programs performed by railway educational institutions enthralled the audience.