Southern Railways Patriotism Rises High
S Vishnu Sharmaa, INN/Chennai, @infodeaofficialSouthern Railway stands second to none when it comes to saluting the true spirit of this nation. This was visible on 15 February at Chennai Central when Southern Railway General Manager R K Kulshrestha hoisted the national
tricolor present on a 100 ft tall pole.
The flag is located at the entrance of concourse area of Chennai Central. Sources from Southern Railway point out monumental flags have been planned to be provided at 75 major stations of Indian Railways as per the orders of the Railway Ministry.
In Southern Railway, monumental Flags have been provided at Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam South and Kozhikode. At both Chennai Egmore and Thrissur, such flags will be provided shortly. In addition to these railway stations, a monumental national flag has been provided at signal and telecommunication Workshop at Podanur.
In Southern Railway, monumental Flags have been provided at Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam South and Kozhikode. At both Chennai Egmore and Thrissur, such flags will be provided shortly. In addition to these railway stations, a monumental national flag has been provided at signal and telecommunication Workshop at Podanur.Kulshrestha interacting with the media persons said that about 704.5 million passengers have traveled up to January 2019 which is four percent higher than the corresponding period of 2017-18 and on the freight front, Southern Railway has registered an Originating freight loading of 29.91 million tonnes during the financial year 2018-19 up-to January, 2018 witnessing 26 percent growth compared to the corresponding period of 2017-18 (23.71 MT).
He informed that the zone is a front runner in introducing a range of modern train products such as Humsafar, Antyodaya, and Uday. Listing the features of the latest Utkrisht coaches, General Manager said it is progressively being introduced in various trains in Southern Railway.
So far, six Utkrisht rakes have been inducted in Southern Railway train services. General Manager indicated that despite taking up large scale safety enhancement works, the punctuality indices have increased from 68% in the beginning of the year to over 80% in January, 2019.
He added that according paramount importance to safety, the zone has eliminated all the unmanned level crossings in the broad gauge network and now has started eliminating manned level crossings.
He said that during the year, 85 Subways and 11 ROBs/RUBs have been commissioned. The zone has been providing improved amenities for passengers at railway stations like emergency medical care centers, women facilitation centers, WiFi, AC waiting halls and potable water vending machines, he added.
About the monumental flag
The flag is 100 feet tall pole made of approximately two tonnes of Galvanized Iron Pipes telescoped into one another to form the pole. The flag cloth is made of a polyester. The cost of the flag and the pole and the installation is Rs 15 lakhs.
Flag Size: 30*20 feet
Weight: 9.5kg
Material: polyester
Mast height: 100 feet from Pedestal.
Weight Of mast: two tonne
Mode of Operation: Manual as well as electrical power.
According to the prevailing wind force and direction the location has been selected in a such a way that the flag will fly without any hindrance. Arrangements have been made for Half-mast level flag position if situations warranted such as mourning.
Hoisting is easier but removal and folding of this flag requires minimum eight persons. Lighting and aviation obstruction indicator and LED red lamp arrangements have been provided at the top with antique mast top made up of fibre material. Divisional railway manager of Chennai division Naveen Gulati was among those present.
