Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that Indian Railways has decided to run nearly 6,000 special trains to help more than one crore passengers get home for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath festivals.

Speaking to reporters, the Railway Minister said that additional general coaches have been added to 108 trains and 12,500 coaches have been sanctioned to take care of the extra rush witnessed during festivals.

Several train routes, especially those destined for Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal witness heavy rush during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath festivals, PTI reported.

“A total of 5,975 special trains have been notified so far for this year’s festival season, up from 4,429 last year,” said Union Minister.

“This will facilitate more than one crore passengers to go home during this puja rush,” Vaishnaw said.

Durga Puja begins on October 9, Diwali will be celebrated on October 31 while Chhath Puja will take place on November 7 and 8 this year.

“This festive season, we have increased general coaches in 108 trains. We have also sanctioned 12,500 coaches for Chhath Puja and Diwali special trains. So far, we have notified 5,975 special trains for 2024-25. These trains will help over 1 crore passengers travel home during the Puja rush. In 2023-24, we ran a total of 4,429 special trains during the festive season,” Vaishnaw said.

The Railway Minister highlighted India’s progress in manufacturing, saying, “We built Vande Bharat because Prime Minister Narendra Modi trusted our railway engineers.”

He added that India is now manufacturing multiple versions of the Vande Bharat train, including the new Namo Bharat train and sleeper coaches, reducing reliance on foreign imports.

In July this year, the government operated over 300 special trains to and from Puri, Odisha, to handle the large number of pilgrims attending the Jagannath Rath Yatra.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and sought early release of pending funds to the state to implement various welfare schemes.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister and DMK president also requested PM Modi to personally intervene to protect the interest of Tamil fishermen, a state official said.

After meeting the Prime Minister, Stalin also met Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, ahead of a public rally in Kancheepuram on September 28, where leaders from the opposition coalition will gather.

Stalin arrived in the national capital on Thursday evening and received a warm welcome from DMK leaders, including members of Parliament T R Baalu, Tiruchi Siva, Dayanidhi Maran, K Kanimozhi, and T Sumathy among others. 

In a post on X, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that he had a cordial meeting with PM Modi, where he discussed key issues concerning the State.

He requested the release of the Union Government’s share for Phase 2 of the jointly implemented Chennai Metro, noting that several States that initiated their metro projects after Tamil Nadu have already received their funds.  

Stalin also urged the immediate release of Samagra Shiksha funds, currently withheld due to the non-implementation of the NEP. “Tamil Nadu has long upheld a two-language policy, reflecting the will of our people,” he said.

Calling for urgent intervention regarding the repeated arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, the Chief Minister said that he is looking forward to a swift and positive action from the Prime Minister on such important matters for the benefit of Tamil Nadu.

On Friday, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the central air quality panel for not taking adequate steps to monitor the air quality and curb pollution in the national capital region. The next hearing on the matter will be on October 3 next month.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih found that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) did not form any committee to monitor air quality.

“There has been total non-compliance of the Act. Have committees been constituted? Please show us a single step taken, which directions have you used under the Act? Just see the affidavit. Show us a single direction issued under S 12 and others,” Justice Oka said.

Justice Oka added, “It is all in the air, nothing they have shown as to what they have said to the NCR States.”

The court acknowledged that the CAQM had taken some action, but their performance fell short of expectations. Every winter, the National Capital Region (NCR) faces a severe air quality crisis due to factors such as stubble burning in the neighboring states of Haryana and Punjab.

The court directed the CAQM to provide details of their meetings and a more comprehensive compliance report. When informed that the CAQM meets only once every three months, the court questioned whether this frequency was sufficient and whether their decisions were effectively addressing the issue of stubble burning.

The court also inquired about the actions taken against officials who failed to fulfill their responsibilities.

The CAQM chairman Rajesh Verma mentioned that meetings had been held with the officials and pollution boards of Punjab and Haryana, and warnings had been issued to their chief secretaries.

The apex court further asked Verma about the action being taken against the concerned officials. To which, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said that the chairman had recently joined the office.

Verma, however, informed the court that meetings were held with the officials and pollution board of Punjab and Haryana, and they have issued warnings to their chief secretaries.

Senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, stated that if their law was being violated, they have the authority to take action. “But they are being silent spectators,” observed the court.