Soon, railway passengers in Lucknow can hire someone to receive them at the station, takes care of the luggage and have them dropped at the desired destination in a cab through ‘concierge service’–a station-to-home drop facility offered on the Railway’s official ticketing website.

After successful experiment in New Delhi in January this year, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will launch its friendly ‘concierge service’ for passengers travelling in premium trains in the state capital this week. Passengers can choose this facility along with tickets booked online.

“Apart from the convenience to the passengers, the facility would also boost tourism,” said an IRCTC official at the Lucknow regional centre.

To begin with, the services would be available for the passengers of premium trains including Shatabadi Express, Pushpak Express, Lucknow Mail and Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express.

“For now we have limited the services to four trains and it would be expanded to more trains depending on the response,” he said. The ‘concierge service’ comes with a cab service, a porter and an escort to assist the train passenger.

“A person would receive the passenger who has availed of the facility, take care of the luggage, book a cab and drop the passenger at his/her desired destination under the facility,” said the official adding this would also help keeping a tab on touts. However, for each of these services, passengers have to pay premium 36 hours in advance only on the IRCTC website.

While the charges for the porter will be Rs 100 (for 40kg luggage) and Rs 200 (for 80kg), the charges of cab have been divided into different zones in the state capital.

In a dramatic U-turn, BJP state executive member and Kiran Bedi’s election campaign in-charge Narendra Tandon took back his resignation on Monday.

The latest development came hours after Tandon resigned from the BJP citing Bedi’s “dictatorial attitude”.

While speaking to the media Tandon confirmed that he has taken back his resignation. “I have withdrawn my resignation and will continue to work for BJP,” Tandon said.

Tandon made the announcement after meeting BJP president Amit Shah at party headquarters in Delhi.

Earlier, Tandon in his resignation letter to BJP president said, “I could not tolerate the way she gave dictation to us (BJP workers).”

“Her (Kiran Bedi) aides used to insult me on every issue,” he said.

Notably, Bedi’s induction into the party and the decision of projecting her as the chief ministerial candidate hasn’t gone down well with the Delhi BJP unit.

The internal rift was wide open and it was visible when supporters of Delhi BJP unit president Satish Upadhyay staged a protest outside party headquarters, reportedly miffed with him not being named as the party’s CM candidate. The supporters also shouted slogans and said that “they will not tolerate a parachute CM”.

65-year-old Bedi joined the BJP on January 17.

Delhi Legislative Assembly election, 2015 will be held on February 7 to elect 70 members. The results will be announced on February 10.

The BJP has fielded Kiran Bedi from Krishna Nagar constituency against Aam Aadmi Party candidate SK Bagga.

College student Arup Bhandari, who slipped into coma after being assaulted for protesting against eve-teasing in Howrah, died on Monday.

Arup Bhandari, who was admitted at the medical facility on January 29 with multiple critical injuries, died at around 6.30 am on Monday, according to nursing home authorities.

“Bhandari’s condition was very critical when he was admitted at our nursing home on January 29. He had sustained multiple injuries but the most critical one was on his head,” a senior official of the nursing home said.

“He was in coma and did not response to any medical treatment. He was put on life-support system but his condition never improved. He passed away on Monday at around 6.30 am,” he said.

The body was sent for post mortem.

The incident took place last week when several residents of Hrishikesh Ghosh lane, along with women and girls, were taking the idol for immersion after Sarawati Puja.

When some drunken youths allegedly made lewd gestures at the girls and passed comments, Arup and his friend Abhijit Basu protested.

An argument broke out but the matter was brought under control after intervention.

However, they were allegedly brutally attacked by the youths once they returned late in the night after idol immersion from the ghat.

Arup was critically injured and went into coma while his friend sustained minor injuries.

The accused are still on the run and a case has been registered against them at the Golabari Police Station.

Government is likely to bring in a bill that seeks to convert 101 rivers across the country into waterways in the upcoming session of Parliament, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.

Keen on promoting water transport to propel economic growth, the government has set an ambitious target to convert 101 rivers into waterways.

“We have moved the Cabinet note in this regard. We will try to introduce it in this (upcoming) session,” said the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister.

He said promoting waterways is the top-most priority of his Ministry, which has identified 101 rivers to be converted into waterways, which are cheaper mode of transport.

“Transportation cost through waterways come to barely 30 paise a km in comparison to Re. 1 a km through railways and Rs. 1.5 a km through road. Unfortunately this mode of transport is yet to be tapped in our country,” Gadkari said.

“In China transportation of goods constitute 44 per cent of the total transportation in comparison to a minimal 3.3 per cent in our country.”
The government has so far declared only five river stretches as waterways.

Inland waterways comprising rivers, lakes, canals, creeks, backwaters etc. Extend to about 14,500 km in the country. However, potential of this mode of transport has not been fully exploited so far.

The government has already decided to launch a scheme, PM Jal Marg Yojna, and projects for setting up dry and satellite ports, besides converting riverways into waterways.

Recently Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a pact with Odisha government, Paradip Port and Dhamra Port to develop commercially viable stretches of National Waterway 5.

In the National Waterway-5, East Coast Canal has been integrated with Brahmini River and Mahanadi Delta Rivers (588 km).

Also a project to develop National Waterways -4, Sholinganallur-Kallapakkam stretch of South Buckingham Canal has been sanctioned.

The National Waterways-1, 2 & 3 have been made operational.

Five National Waterways are Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system (Allahabad-Haldia-1620 km); river Brahmaputra (Dhubri-Sadiya-891 km); West Coast Canal (Kottapuram-Kollam) along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals-(205 km); Kakinada-Puducherry canals along with Godavari and Krishna rivers (1078 km) and East Coast Canal integrated with Brahmani river and Mahanadi delta rivers (588 km).

Around ten students of a private school in Bengaluru were allegedly tonsured by the hostel warden as punishment.

“On Sunday, we have received a complaint at the Cubbon Park Police Station, wherein two children have given a complaint, saying that they were studying in one of the private schools in Bengaluru and staying in the hostel facilities provided by the school, and on the 28th, one of the student’s hair was forcibly shaven off, as well as on 30th, the other child’s hair was shaven off,” DCP Central (Bengaluru) Sandeep Patil said.

“Regarding this, we have already commenced our investigation and revealed that around 10 students were subjected to the same treatment,” he added.

Patil further said that a letter has been written to the Education Department for simultaneous inquiry as well as further action that can be taken.

VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi has stoked fresh controversy by making inflammatory remarks on the issue of ‘love jihad’ and defending her statement that Hindu women should have four children.

“They are trapping our daughters through ‘love jihad’. These people who give birth to 35-40…. Are spreading love jihad….. They are trying to make Hindustan into Darul Islam.

“When I made the remarks, it was as if the country was hit by a quake. The media said you have sparked an uproar with your remarks on four children. I said I have only advocated four children for Hindus not 40…. And it is important because the country needs it,” the saffron clad leader said at a function organised here by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which “felicitated” Hindus who have more than four children.

Prachi had contested the 2012 Assembly elections on BJP ticket from Purkazi constituency in UP. She was among persons accused of inciting riots through their provocative speeches in Muzaffarnagar in 2013 and was later granted bail.

The latest hate speech came despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning to party leaders to restrain from making controversial comments which can overshadow his government’s agenda of development and economic reforms.

The BJP was quick to distance itself from Prachi’s remarks, saying the party does not agree with such views and is not interested in discussing any such issue.

“The BJP does not agree with any such comment. We do not think that the comments are correct. BJP does not want to discuss any issue other than good governance and even the people are not ready to accept any such discussion.

“Under such circumstances, there is no significance of such remarks,” said chief of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit Laxmikant Bajpai.

He asserted that the leader was not speaking at a party platform.

Prachi felicitated 20 persons, who had more than four children at the ‘Virat Hindu Sammelan’ organised by VHP here yesterday. Those “honoured” included Dwarika Singh, who have 11 children, Rampal Singh and Surnam Singh, who have nine children each.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sadhvi Prachi said, “Why family planning is implemented for Hindus only.”

On “Ghar Wapasi”, she said that if 1,400 years ago everyone was Hindu, “UP Urban Development Minister Azam Khan, Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Yusuf Raza Gilani should also do ghar wapasi”, a term used for reconverting into Hinduism.

Prachi said that she was not against love but against “Love Jihad”.

“A campaign is being run to trap Hindu girls in the name of love,” she said.

The sadhvi had drawn criticism last month over her remarks that Hindu women should have four kids.

“Earlier we used to say ‘hum do hamare do’. But now we have started saying that ‘sher ka bachcha ek hi achha’ (for a lion, one offspring is enough). This is wrong,” Prachi had said at a gathering in Bhilwara.

“If there is one child, where all will you send him? To protect the border… Or make him a scientist or he will take care of business…. So, we need four children. One can go to protect the borders, one can serve the society, give one to the saints and one to VHP to serve the nation and protect the culture. This is very important,” she had said.

Acting on a petition filed by Congress’ candidate from New Delhi seat Kiran Walia questioning the legality of Arvind Kejriwal’s candidature from the seat – as he is a resident of Uttar Pradesh – the Delhi High Court, on Monday, issued a notice to Kejriwal and the election commission.

Walia alleged that AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal has been giving his wrong residence address because he wished to become an elector from Delhi. She added that he has committed a fraud by submitting a false affidavit to the Election Commission that he is a permanent resident of B K Dutt Colony.

She further said that the matter has been reported to the Election Commission and that Kejriwal’s name should be removed from the electoral list and a probe should be ordered into the matter.

Earlier, Walia had alleged that Kejriwal had not mentioned the criminal case pending against him in the poll affidavit, hence it should be rejected.

The BJP and Congress have also demanded cancellation of Arvind Kejriwal’s nomination and complained to the Election Commission against the AAP chief for alleged violation of model code of conduct.

While BJP slammed Kejriwal for “defaming” the party by accusing it of bribing voters before the election, Congress charged him with “cheating” the people by declaring a false address in the nomination papers.

Delhi will vote to elect members of its 70-member assembly on Feb 7. Results will be out on Feb 10.