In Brief 8212; Pune

SR urges Sai Trust to share expenses
Ahmednagar: South Railway8217;s SR general manager K B Shankaran has said that the work of laying railway tracks to Shirdi can be expedited if the Sai Baba Trust shares half the cost of the work. Speaking to various delegations at Kopargaon, near here recently, Shankaran said that the final decision on Kopargaon-Shirdi or Punatambe-Shirdi rail route will be taken only after receiving the reports of surveys.

Shankaran said that the railway ministry was committed to laying railway tracks up to Shirdi. The estimated cost of laying the tracks is around Rs. 20 to 25 crores, he said and added that the Sai Baba Trust should bear 50 per cent of it. He said that priorities are being given to provide facilities at Kopargaon in the interests of the pilgrims visiting Shirdi.

Shankaran inspected various railway stations on the Daund-Manmad route including Manmad, Yeola, Punatambe and Shrirampur. He was accompanied by over 100 officers and technicians.

Stir against police atrocities
Sangli: Sangli Saraf Association 8212; a goldsmiths organisation 8212; observed a bandh today protesting against the alleged police atrocities. Three of their members were recently arrested and harassed by Sangli and Kolhapur police recently on the basis of confessions obtained from accused in theft cases, the Association charged. Goldsmiths were often subjected to police harassment, it added.

The Association would resort to a district wide bandh, if no corrective steps were taken in near future, a communique said.