Passenger train services begin
After 50 days of the total shutdown of the passenger train services, two special trains chugged from New Delhi station for Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and Dibrugarh in Assam on Tuesday evening while the third left for Bengaluru at night. Five other special trains took off from Mumbai Central, Howrah, Ahmedabad, Rajendranagar (Bihar) and Bengaluru for New Delhi. A total of 3,461 passengers are travelling from New Delhi to three destinations, 1,177 to Bilaspur, 1,122 to Dibrugarh and 1,162 to Bengaluru. They are all fully AC trains, rather converted from the Rajdhani Express running on these routes. The special trains are in addition to the Shramik specials run by the Railways for the stranded workers and others with the ordinary second class sleeper coaches. A Railway spokesman said the reservation can be booked in advance for only 7 days and IRCTC says all special trains for the next seven days are more or less fully booked. He said the reservation will open every day for people to book tickets for the next day. —Our Bureau
Kejri seeks public suggestions
Asserting the lockdown cannot be lifted completely after May 17, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought suggestions from city residents on the relaxations in the lockdown 4.0 for sending it to the Centre. Kejriwal said though the lockdown, the third phase of which ends on May 17, cannot be lifted totally, there could be more relaxations. Meanwhile, the govt received 3 lakh messages on WhatsApp within 7 hours of Kejriwal seeking suggestions, sources said. They said the government has also received 25,000 recorded messages on the 1031 helpline along with 5,000 emails.
Ex-PM Manmohan Singh discharged
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was admitted to the AIIMS here after suffering reaction to a new medication, was discharged on Tuesday. The 87-year-old Congress leader was discharged around 12.30 pm, hospital sources said. Singh was shifted to a private ward in the Cardio-Neuro tower on Monday night. He was also tested for Covid and his results had come out negative.
Pizza boy recovers, discharged
A pizza delivery boy in Delhi who tested Covid positive last month creating a fear of infection in the area, has been cured and discharged, the administration said on Tuesday. An official from the South district said the boy was discharged. “As already informed, none of his contacts tested positive for coronavirus. Now he has also been cured and discharged from the hospital,” he said.
Allahabad Univ renaming opposed
As many as 12 of the 15 members of Allahabad University’s (AU) executive council, the apex decision-making body of the varsity, are not in favour of changing the name of the central university to Prayagraj University. The Union HRD ministry recently asked the university administration to seek opinion of all members of its executive council (EC) through email. —Agencies
