Tag: Indian

Indian Railways largest waiting hall opens at Patna Junction! From digital screens to local art, see features

Source: financialexpress.com

New Indian Railways waiting hall at Patna Junction: Indian Railways continues to give a swanky makeover to stations across India under its station redevelopment and beautification initiative! Recently, the Patna Junction railway station in Bihar got a new waiting hall for better comfort of passengers. The waiting hall, set up over an area of 7,500 sq ft, has been provided with a seating capacity of over 300 passengers. In addition to this, as many as 200 more seats can be added at the hall. Interestingly, the newly opened waiting hall at Patna Junction station is said to be the largest waiting hall on the Indian Railways network. Also, many other passenger-friendly amenities and facilities have been provided in the waiting hall.

According to information shared by the East Central Railway zone, the new waiting hall has been equipped with 7 HD screens of 65″. The digital screens will display entertainment-related content as well as train information 24×7. The waiting hall has been beautified to promote local art with all the walls being covered in Madhubani painting in bright and attractive colours. The entire waiting hall is centrally air-conditioned. Moreover, additional fans have been provided as well. Also, the entire waiting hall is lighted with 100 per cent LED fixtures concealed in the ceiling.

Piyush Goyal-chaired Railway Ministry is effortlessly working towards beautification and redevelopment of stations across the country. Not only are the railway stations being beautified, but they are also being well equipped with various modern facilities. Some of the stations, which were renovated recently include New Delhi railway station, Kamakhya Junction, Asansol Junction, Mathura Junction, Haridwar Junction, Jaipur Junction, Lonavala, Adoni, Bellampalli, Sainagar Shirdi, Manduadih, Kurnool City railway station, etc.

Besides, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)- a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is also working to transform certain railway stations into airport-like hubs. Currently, development work is being carried out at Habibganj and Gandhi Nagar railway stations.

Indian-American adoptive father of Sherin Mathews begins life sentence

Source: thehindu.com

The Indian-American foster father of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews, sentenced to life in prison for the death of the toddler who was found dead in a culvert in 2017, has begun serving the jail term in Dallas.

In a case that attracted much international attention, Wesley Mathews (39), pleaded guilty on June 24 to a lesser charge of injury to a child in Sherin’s tragic death.

He was originally charged with capital murder by authorities in the US state of Texas after they discovered Sherin’s highly decomposed body after a massive search that lasted 15 days.

On Thursday, Dallas County Sheriff officials said that Mathews was transferred from Dallas County jail to state prison at around 12:58 AM Thursday.

A Dallas County jury heard the case, and Mathews was sentenced to life in prison in Sherin’s death on June 26.

Mathews has since filed another appeal in the case asking for a new sentencing trial. His attorney alleges photos of Sherin’s body were “prejudicial”.

“Jurors expressed visible emotion when shown the exhibits,” defence attorney Brook Busbee wrote in the appeal.

The appeal also claims that evidence of prior injuries on Sherin’s body “prejudiced the jury”. The court filing said that those injuries cannot be linked to Mathews.

The father had reported Sherin missing after he put her outside October 7, 2017, because she wouldn’t drink her milk. Her badly decomposed body was found 15 days later in a culvert.

Prosecutors argued Mathews hid his crime, making it impossible to determine exactly what happened to the girl because of how badly decomposed her body was.

Mathews testified that his daughter choked on her milk and that he wrapped her body in a trash bag because he wanted “to do something nice” for her.

Sherin’s adoptive mother, Sini Mathews, was also criminally charged after the child’s body was found, but that case was later dismissed after the Dallas County District Attorney said there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

Mathews and his wife Sini Mathews, both hailing from Kerala, adopted Sherin from an orphanage in Bihar’s Nalanda district in 2016.

Police charged Sherin’s foster mother Sini with child abandonment in November 2017, after Mathews told officials that the couple left the toddler alone the night of her death while they went to dinner with their biological daughter.

Sini’s case was dismissed in March this year after prosecutors said they could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sherin’s death attracted the attention of the Indian government and then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took keen interest in the case and also instructed the Indian mission in Houston to make sure that the Indian toddler received justice. India revoked the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) immigration status of Wesley and Sini after Sherin’s death.

The government further tightened the adoption process after Sherin’s tragic death.